Srinagar: Afghanistan cricket team has scripted history by whitewashing an international cricketing side Bangladesh in a 3-match Twenty20 series in Dehradun, India.
In the third and final match of their t-20 series against Bangladesh, the Afghan team won by a thin margin of one run in a nail-biting finish to clinch the series 3-0.
Batting first, Afghanistan posted a par score of 145/6 in the allotted 20 overs with Samiullah Sherwani top scoring with 33 from 28 balls and opening wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad amassing 26 runs from
22 deliveries.
In response, Bangladesh ended up with 144/5 from 20 overs despite heroic efforts from wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who made 46 from 37 balls, and aggressive middle-order batsman Mahmudullah who
remained unbeaten on 45*.
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan failed with the bat again. He made only 10. For Afghanistan, the player of the match in previous two encounters Rashid Khan again bowled well by claiming a wicket while conceding only 24 runs from his four overs. In the series, Rashid Khan claimed eight wickets to take the well-deserved player of the series award.
The sensational leggie conceded only 49 runs from his 12 overs in three matches while claiming eight scalps.
Earlier, Nazmul Islam was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh by claiming two wickets while conceding 18 runs from his quota of four overs.
Afghanistan won the second match by six wickets and secured win in the first game by 45 runs.
At the beginning of the series, Bangladesh’s experienced skipper Shakib Al Hasan had surprisingly declared Afghanistan as favourites, raising many an eyebrow.
Renowned Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote a satirical tweet about this development.
“When Shakib said he thought Afghanistan started favourites against Bangladesh, I thought he was playing a mind game. Didn’t realise he meant it,” Bhogle wrote on Twitter.
Bangladesh failed to even salvage pride by not winning a game in the t-20 series against Afghanistan, a team which is considered a minnow.
The sensational 3-0 victory will boost cricket in Afghanistan and inspire many aspiring cricketers to take cricket as a full time.