Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets: Miraj's double performance

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets: Miraj's double performance

innings of 57 runs and took three wickets.

Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 6 wickets in the third match of ODI World Cup 2023. In the match played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA), Dharamshala, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Batting first, Afghanistan was all out for 156 runs in 37.2 overs and gave Bangladesh a target of 157 runs. In reply, Bangladesh team achieved the target by losing four wickets in 34.4 overs.

Top-2 factors of Bangladesh's victory

1. Openers flopped, Shanto-Miraj took over

Bangladesh team had a bad start to chase the target. Both the openers were out cheaply. Tanjid Hasan could score only 5 runs and Liton Das could score only 13 runs. From here Nazmul Hussain Shanto and Mehdi Hasan Miraj took over the team by making a partnership of 97 runs.

2. Amazing work of spinners in middle overs

Afghanistan team had a good start. The team had scored 96 runs at the loss of 2 wickets in the first 20 overs. Bangladesh's spinners changed the course of the game in the middle overs. Afghan players completely failed to understand the spin of Miraj-Shakib. Afghanistan lost 8 wickets between 21 and 38 overs.

Shanto and Miraj played half-century innings

For Bangladesh, Nazmul Hussain Shanto and Mehdi Hasan Miraj played half-century innings. Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqui took one wicket each for Afghanistan.

Shanto's sixth half-century

Najmul Hussain Shanto, who came to bat at number four, scored the sixth half-century of his ODI career. Shanto hit 3 fours and a six in his innings of 59 runs in 83 balls. He remained unbeaten till the end of the innings.

Miraj's third fifty in ODI

Mehdi Hasan Miraj, who came to bat at number 3, scored the third fifty of his ODI career. Miraj played an inning of 57 runs in 73 balls with the help of 5 fours. He was dismissed by Naveen-ul-Haq.

Shanto-Miraj's half-century partnership

After losing both the openers in the powerplay, Bangladesh's Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mehdi Hasan Miraj took charge of the team. Together they made a partnership of 97 for the third wicket. Naveen-ul-Haq broke this partnership.

Bangladesh in powerplay

Bangladesh had a mixed start in the powerplay. The team scored 44 runs in the first 10 overs but lost the wickets of both the openers. Tanjid Hasan Tamim was out after scoring 5 runs and Liton Das was out after scoring 13 runs.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mehdi Hasan Miraj took three wickets for Bangladesh. Shoriful Islam took two wickets. Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed got one success each.