Bangladesh secured a consolation victory in the third ODI against Afghanistan, thanks to an outstanding
bowling performance by Shoriful Islam and a composed half-century by Litton Das. Shoriful claimed
career-best figures of four wickets for 21 runs, with Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam providing valuable support by taking two wickets each. Shakib Al Hasan was also exceptional, conceding only 13 runs in his ten overs and capturing one wicket. Afghanistan struggled to build momentum and posted its lowest total against Bangladesh, managing only 126 runs.
Bangladesh displayed a clinical approach during their chase, completing it in 23.3 overs. This was a stark
contrast to the first two ODIs, where they lacked such efficiency. The bowling unit bounced back
strongly after conceding a hefty 331 runs in the previous match, with Shakib’s economical spell being a
standout feature. It was the third time in Bangladesh’s ODI history that they restricted their opponents
to 13 or fewer runs, and interestingly, Shakib was the bowler responsible for all three occasions.
Afghanistan’s batting faltered early on, with Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah falling victim to Shoriful’s
deliveries. Taskin then dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who had been a formidable threat in the
previous game. Mohammad Nabi was trapped LBW by Shoriful soon after, resulting in Bangladesh
achieving the rare feat of taking the first four wickets with 15 or fewer runs on the board. Shakib
continued the damage by dismissing Najibullah Zadran LBW, while Taijul bowled Hashmatullah Shahidi
with an attempted reverse sweep. With Afghanistan reeling at 53 for six wickets, their innings lacked direction and purpose.
Shoriful completed his four-wicket haul when debutant Abdul Rahman played a shot that ended up in
Taijul’s hands at fine leg. Notably, all three instances of Shoriful’s four-wicket hauls have occurred in the
month of July: against Zimbabwe in 2021, West Indies in 2022, and now against Afghanistan in 2023.
Azmatullah Omarzai provided some resistance for Afghanistan, scoring his maiden ODI fifty with an
innings of 56 runs off 71 balls, including one four and three sixes. He formed a crucial 36-run partnership
for the ninth wicket with Mujeeb Ur Rahman. However, Omarzai’s innings came to an end when he
miscued a slog off Taskin, resulting in a well-judged catch by Mohammad Naim in the deep.
Bangladesh’s batting innings began with Mohammad Naim falling for a duck to a swinging and seaming
delivery from Fazalhaq Farooqi that unexpectedly dragged back onto the stumps. Farooqi then dismissed
Najmul Hossain Shanto, whose attempt to drive resulted in his off stump being knocked over. Earlier in
the innings, Shanto and Farooqi had engaged in a heated exchange, leading to an animated send-off.
Shakib and Litton provided stability with a 61-run partnership for the third wicket. Shakib contributed a
run-a-ball 39, hitting five boundaries, while Litton played a supportive role. After Shakib’s departure,
Litton successfully guided Bangladesh to victory, accompanied by Towhid Hridoy, who remained
unbeaten on 23.
