Press Trust of India
Canberra, Feb 18: All-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim struck resilient half-centuries as Bangladesh thrashed minnows Afghanistan by 105 runs in their opening pool-A match of the cricket World Cup, here Wednesday.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Bangladesh were struggling at 119 for four. But former captains Shakib (63, 51b, 6×4, 1×6) and Rahim (71, 56b, 6×4, 1×6 ) lifted Bangladesh to 267. When supporters were looking for a big total, Shakib and Rahim fell into Afghan traps and Mortaza and company lost their last half for 34 runs. Shapoor Zadran (2/20) and Mirwais Ashraf (2/32) bowled some quick spells.
In reply, the Afghans were bundled out for a meagre 162 in 42.5 overs. Afghan openers Javed Ahmadi and Afsar Zazai went back quickly as Afghans lost 3 wickets for just 3 runs. Nawroz Mangal (27) and Samiullah Shenwari (42) steadied the boat for a while, putting on 62 runs for the fourth wicket. But Mangal and Shenwari got dismissed in quick succession, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 78 for five again. Skipper Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran (17) shared 58 runs for the sixth wicket to keep the hopes of war-torn nation alive. Nabi played a responsible innings (44, 43b, 5×4) to put some pressure over Bangladesh but Mashrafe Mortaza sent the Afghanistan captain back, while Shakib-al-Hasan dismissed Zardan with the first ball of the very next over to virtually end their hopes of making a comeback. It was just a matter of time before Afghanistan innings folded. Although Mirwais Ashraf (10) and Aftab Alam (14) tried hard to apply themselves the Bangladesh bowlers tightened the nooze. For Bangladesh, skipper Mortaza (3/20) became the most successful bowler of the match, while Shakib (2/43) assisted with his all round performance. Mushfiqur Rahim was adjudged MoM for his quick and responsible knock of 71.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh 267 (Mushfiqur 71, Shakib 63; Shapoor 2/20) beat Afghanistan 162 (Nabi 44; Mashrafe 3/20) by 105 runs.
