In a rain-affected first One-Day International (ODI) clash in Chittagong, Afghanistan emerged triumphant against Bangladesh by 17 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Opener Ibrahim Zadran played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 41, steering Afghanistan to victory.
After rain interrupted the game, play was called off at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium with Afghanistan positioned at 83-2 in 21.4 overs, pursuing a revised target of 164 runs in 43 overs.
Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s win, claiming figures of 3-24. His impressive performance helped restrict Bangladesh to 169-9. This, in turn, provided Afghanistan with an adjusted target during the heavily overcast conditions, AFP reported.
Zadran, in partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, laid the foundation for Afghanistan’s successful chase, contributing 54 runs in their opening stand. However, Gurbaz was dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan for 22, and Rahmat Shah fell to Taskin Ahmed for eight, slowing down Afghanistan’s progress.
Due to intermittent rain, Afghanistan was set a revised target of 111 runs in 29 overs. Unfortunately, a fresh spell of rain led the match officials to abandon the game, declaring Afghanistan as the winners under the DLS method as they required 67 runs to win at that stage.
Spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman played their part, with figures of 2-21 and 2-23 respectively, supporting Farooqi’s splendid performance. This collective effort kept Bangladesh in check, especially after rain interruptions disrupted their innings twice.
Bangladesh’s rookie batsman Towhid Hridoy top-scored with 51 runs, but struggled to find momentum. Bangladesh faced early setbacks as Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das and Najmul Hossain were dismissed before the rain interruptions.
In response, Rashid bowled Mushfiqur Rahim for one and later dismissed Afif Hossain for four, while Farooqi claimed the wicket of Towhid Hridoy. Bangladesh found themselves in a challenging position at 144-7 off 34.3 overs before rain further delayed the game.
Afghanistan, having lost their previous two ODI series against Bangladesh, now have an opportunity to secure an unassailable lead in the three-match series with the second ODI scheduled at the same venue on July 8.
(With AFP inputs)
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Updated: 06 Jul 2023, 09:13 AM IST
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