bangladesh vs afghanistan t20 match

• Not the ideal start to a big tournament but Bangladesh will not complain. The qualifiers will now move across to Chittagong for the next match between Nepal and Hong Kong. Join us for all the action in a while. For now, cheers and bye..
• Rahim: 'The boys really played well in the practice games, they were up for the challenge. There was some help on this wicket, and we knew we had a chance if we bowled well. This was a 110-120 runs wicket. All our bowlers did well. Nice to see some of our experienced players coming up with the goods. I am extremely fine, nothing to worry about the minor injury.'
• Nabi: 'We wanted to go hard at the top, we wanted to put up a big score on the board. This was a big game for us, they bowled really well, especially Shakib and Razzak. We had a bad day, we will look to forget this game and hope to do well in our next two games. There was plenty of help from the surface.'
• Shakib: 'There was plenty of help for the bowlers, particularly the spinners. We just had to bowl in the right areas, and that is what I did. I would love to bowl on such tracks daily, but hopefully it will get better to bat on in future. I felt they were a bit edgy while batting. Looking forward to the rest of the tournament.'
• Shakib Al Hasan is the MoM
• A one sided game to start the T20 Cup. Afghanistan will be left pondering over their batting which effectively cost them this match. The bowlers had very little chance to defend the paltry target of 73, despite all the spin and the bounce on offer. Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal started well, they respected the bowling but made sure to take full toll when the bad ones came across. In the end, it was a superb victory for the hosts, their biggest in terms of wickets in T20 contests.
• 11.6 Shenwari to Anamul, SIX, Anamul has finished it off in style, he mouths a few expletives as he celebrates the victory. First win of the year for Bangladesh in any format of the game, this was tossed up and on the stumps, Anamul comes down the track and sends it sailing high and over long on for a maximum
• 11.5 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, flighted delivery and on off, spats across Anamul as he looks to defend
• 11.4 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, flatter and just outside off, Anamul was looking to dab it towards the off-side and misses. Shahzad is quick to whip the bails off, but Anamul was well in
• Another appeal, this time for a stumping chance. Anamul is well in though, NOT OUT is the call
• 11.3 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, excellent skills from Shenwari, this was tossed up and on the stumps, Anamul comes down the track and drills it back at the bowler. He picks up the ball and slides in a throw through the legs of the batsman. Anamul was alert though and is back in time
• The third umpire has been called for a run-out chance. Anamul is in though
• 11.2 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, flighted delivery on off, Haque presses forward and blocks
• 11.1 Shenwari to Shakib, 1 run, flatter and on the pads, nudged behind square for a single. Scores are level now
• 10.6 Aftab Alam to Anamul, FOUR, cracking shot, Anamul comes down the track to a full ball and lifts it over cover for a boundary. Bangladesh are almost home and dry. The crowd is loving every bit of this
• 10.5 Aftab Alam to Shakib, 1 run, low full toss from Alam, driven towards deep cover for a single
• 10.4 Aftab Alam to Anamul, 1 run, Alam follows Anamul as he gave the charge, pushed in front of mid-on for a quick single. Shakib was late in responding, but the fielder fumbles to allow the run
• 10.3 Aftab Alam to Anamul, FOUR, help yourself ball from Alam, length ball on the pads, Anamul gets inside the line and clips it to the left of short fine for a boundary
• 10.2 Aftab Alam to Anamul, FOUR, poor ball from Alam, looks to slip in a yorker and ends up offering a juicy full toss, Anamul was looking to flick and gets an inside edge past the keeper for a boundary
• 10.1 Aftab Alam to Shakib, 1 run, on a good length and well outside off, driven towards long off for a single
• Aftab Alam, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
• 9.6 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, good stop from Nabi at extra cover, Anamul has to hare back in. This was flighted on off, Anamul drove it to the right of Nabi and looked for a single, the throw is poor though, and he makes it back
• 9.5 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, Shenwari drifts one on off, Haque prods forward and blocks
• 9.4 Shenwari to Shakib, 1 run, flatter and quicker from Shenwari, dabbed in front of point for a single
• 9.3 Shenwari to Shakib, FOUR, good use of the feet from Shakib, comes down the track to a well tossed up ball, heaves it with the spin and gets it over mid-wicket for a boundary
• 9.2 Shenwari to Anamul, 1 run, Shenwari floats one well outside off, Haque looks to drive and gets an inside edge towards long on
• 9.1 Shenwari to Anamul, no run, beautifully bowled by Shenwari, the leg-break, pitched on off and spun past the defensive blade of Anamul
• 8.6 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, no run, short and on the stumps, Shakib gets inside the line and clips it to short fine
• 8.6 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, wide, Zadran fires one full and well down leg, wide called
• 8.5 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, no run, loud shout for a caught behind, but umpire Illingworth says NO. This was full and on the pads, Shakib looked to flick and missed, the ball clips the pads on the way to the keeper. He was convinced, so was the bowler, but there was no bat on that
• 8.5 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, wide, Zadran goes for the yorker but ends up firing it well down leg, wide called
• More words exchanged between the bowler and the batsman. The umpires call for the Afghan captain and have a word or two with him
• 8.4 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, no run, Zadran bangs one short and on the stumps, Shakib was way too early on the pull and the ball lobs off his gloves and shoulder and pops in the air, no one near the batsman though, Shakib survives
• 8.3 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, 2 runs, excellent running from Shakib, tucks a length ball behind square and calls for the second run. The return is weak and it allows the batsman to get back for the second run
• 8.2 Dawlat Zadran to Shakib, no run, fuller length delivery and shaping away from off, Shakib throws the kitchen sink at that and misses
• 8.1 Dawlat Zadran to Anamul, 1 run, short of a length and just outside off, Haque drops it in front of cover and calls for a quick single, gets it with ease
• 7.6 Shenwari to Shakib, no run, tossed up and on off, Shakib gets well forward and turns it towards the on-side
• 7.5 Shenwari to Shakib, no run, quicker ball from Shenwari, Hasan goes back and defends it
• Shakib Al Hasan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
• 7.4 Shenwari to Tamim, out Lbw!! Shenwari has got the first wicket for Afghanistan. This was very nicely bowled, drifted in on off and middle and spun back in, Iqbal was looking to defend and is struck low on the pads. The impact was on middle and the ball was going on to crash into the stumps. Tamim lbw b Shenwari 21(27) [4s-2]
• Shenwari to Tamim, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!
• 7.3 Shenwari to Tamim, no run, Shenwari drops one short and just outside off, Iqbal makes room, plays with an open face and guides it towards backward point
• 7.2 Shenwari to Tamim, no run, Shenwari flights one on off, Iqbal makes room and cuts it straight to the fielder at cover
• 7.1 Shenwari to Anamul, 1 run, tossed up and spinning away from off, Haque cracks it square on the off-side for a single
• Samiullah Shenwari, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
• 6.6 Dawlat Zadran to Tamim, no run, bizzare appeal from Zadran, this was full and on the stumps, Iqbal psuhes it back towards the bowler. Zadran picked up the ball and flung it back at the batsman. Iqbal was taking evasive action and knocks the ball away, he was well inside his crease in doing so. Umpire Illingworth is non-plussed and asks the bowler to move away from the pitch
• 6.5 Dawlat Zadran to Tamim, 2 runs, Zadran keeps it short and on the stumps, Iqbal swivels across and pulls it wide of mid-wicket for a brace
• 6.4 Dawlat Zadran to Tamim, FOUR, way too short from Zadran, Iqbal rocks back, rolls his wrists and pulls it powerfully past mid-wicket for a boundary
• 6.3 Dawlat Zadran to Anamul, 1 run, Haque comes down the track to a length ball and slaps it to deep cover for a single
• 6.2 Dawlat Zadran to Anamul, no run, short of a length and shaping away, Haque looks to cut and misses
• 6.1 Dawlat Zadran to Tamim, 1 run, length ball on the pads, clipped in front of square on the on-side for a single
• Dawlat Zadran, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
• 5.6 Sadiq to Anamul, 2 runs, good use of the feet from Haque, comes down the track to a well flighted delivery and clips it wide of mid-wicket for a brace
• 5.5 Sadiq to Anamul, no run, pushed through by Sadiq, turned towards square leg
• 5.4 Sadiq to Anamul, no run, tossed up and on off, Haque comes down the track and defends it
• 5.3 Sadiq to Anamul, SIX, Haque is in a tearing hurry here, this was well tossed up and spun back in, Haque hoicked it with the spin, just about gets enough bat to clear the leaping long on fielder
• 5.2 Sadiq to Anamul, FOUR, poor ball from Sadiq, flatter and well outside leg, Haque rocks back and pulls it behind square for a boundary
• 5.1 Sadiq to Tamim, 1 run, Sadiq drifts one on off, pushed towards long off for a single
• 4.6 Nabi to Anamul, SIX, Haque breaks the shackles with a six! Nabi gave this one plenty of air, Haque planted his front-foot forward, got to the pitch of the ball and hoists it high and over long on for a maximum
• 4.5 Nabi to Anamul, no run, flighted and on off, defended back towards the bowler
• 4.4 Nabi to Anamul, no run, this one spun back after pitching outside off, Haque was caught in his crease as he looked to defend, gets hit on the pads, but the impact was well outside off
• 4.3 Nabi to Tamim, 1 run, Iqbal works a well flighted delivery in front of point and calls for a quick single, Anamul responds and makes it safely in the end
• 4.2 Nabi to Tamim, no run, slower and on off, Iqbal lunges forward and blocks
• 4.1 Nabi to Tamim, no run, tossed up and on the stumps, driven back towards the bowler
• 3.6 Sadiq to Tamim, 1 run, Sadiq drifts one on Iqbal's pads, nudged behind square for a single
• 3.5 Sadiq to Anamul, 1 run, Sadiq gives this one more air, eased past the bowler for a single to long on
• 3.4 Sadiq to Tamim, leg byes, 1 run, loud shout for LBW, but this ball was slanting down leg, Iqbal was looking to sweep and missed, the impact was on leg stump
• 3.3 Sadiq to Tamim, 2 runs, sloppy fieling from Zadran. This was flatter and outside off, Iqbal made room and cut it straight to backward point where the fielder allowed it to go through his legs for a couple
• 3.2 Sadiq to Tamim, no run, Mohammad Shahzad drops a tough chance! This was quicker and well outside off, Iqbal looks to cut and gets a thick edge, in and out of the keeper's gloves
• 3.1 Sadiq to Tamim, no run, pushed through quicker by Sadiq, Iqbal goes back and chops it straight to the fielder at point
• Karim Sadiq, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
• 2.6 Nabi to Tamim, 1 run, tossed up and on middle, eased towards long off for a single
• 2.5 Nabi to Anamul, 1 run, Nabi gives this one plenty of air, pushed wide of mid-off for a single
• 2.4 Nabi to Tamim, 1 run, Nabi drifts one on off, Iqbal gets forward and drives it to long off for a single
• 2.3 Nabi to Tamim, no run, flighted delivery on off and spinning away, Iqbal is happy to let it go
• 2.2 Nabi to Tamim, no run, more turn and bounce for Nabi, Iqbal watches it all along and lets it go
• 2.1 Nabi to Tamim, no run, turn and bounce for Nabi, flighted on off, drags Iqbal forward before spinning past the outside edge
• 1.6 Shapoor to Tamim, 1 run, Zadran bangs one short and on the stumps, Iqbal swivels across and pulls it behind square, no timing behind the shot as it rolls away towards the deep
• 1.5 Shapoor to Tamim, no run, short of a length and just outside off, Iqbal comes down the track and drives it towards extra cover, Mangal does well to get his body behind the ball and saves some runs
• 1.4 Shapoor to Tamim, FOUR, cracking shot, length ball from Zadran, Iqbal gives charge and drives it inside out past extra cover, no need to run for those
• 1.3 Shapoor to Tamim, no run, beautifully bowled! On a length and a hint of nip back into Iqbal, he looks to defend and misses, the ball clips the flap of the pads and bounces over the stumps
• 1.2 Shapoor to Anamul, 1 run, on a good length and angling away from off, Haque looks to defend, gets a thick edge towards third man
• 1.1 Shapoor to Tamim, 1 run, full and wide from Zadran, Iqbal slaps it towards backward point, the fielder fumbles and allows a run
• Shapoor Zadran, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
• 0.6 Nabi to Anamul, no run, more flight and spin for Nabi, Haque lunges forward in defence, gets an inside edge high onto the pads
• 0.5 Nabi to Anamul, no run, Nabi gives this one plenty of air, Haque looks to defend and is beaten by the turn, gets an inside edge onto the pads
• 0.4 Nabi to Anamul, no run, floated on the leg stump line, Haque works it towards the on-side
• 0.3 Nabi to Anamul, no run, flatter and on the stumps, Haque goes back and turns it towards mid-wicket
• 0.2 Nabi to Anamul, no run, Nabi flights one on middle and gets it to spin into Haque, he looks to nudge it towards the on-side and is hit on the pads
• 0.1 Nabi to Tamim, 1 run, tossed up and on middle, Iqbal lunges forward and gets an inside edge towards short fine, off the mark with a single
• Tamim and Anamul are at the crease. Tamim is on strike. Nabi will open the attack
• Some words exchanged between the keeper and Tamim Iqbal. Umpire Llong gets in between and stops the escalation. He has a few words to say to the keeper.
• The Bangladeshi openers make their way out to the middle.
• Razzak: "The wicket was helping us. There was a little bit of turn. I tried to bowl in the right areas and the wickets came easily. We weren't under pressure. We are looking forward to do well. We still have to chase this down. Anything can happen. We will just go and bat."
• There was nothing that Afghanistan could be proud of in their innings. Right from the first ball, when Shahzad mishit one to get out, to the last dismissal where Shapoor slogged and missed one, Afghanistan didn't do anything right. The shot selection was absolutely poor but let's not take any credit away from the Bangladeshi bowlers. Shakib started it all with two wickets in two ball and the Afghans couldn't recover since then. He got good support from the other spinners and in the end, a collective effort from the bowlers meant that they gave their batsmen very less to chase down. This should be easily done. Join us back for the run chase in a short while.
• 17.1 Shakib to Shapoor, out Bowled!! He's knocked him over! Oh hang, is that another Mark Boucher kind of incident? The ball hits Rahim on the eye! He's is some pain. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Zadran advances and slogs, misses and the ball hits top of middle. Comprehensive show this from Bangladesh. Shapoor b Shakib 1(11)
• Shakib to Shapoor, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!
• Shakib Al Hasan [3.0-0-8-2] is back into the attack
• 16.6 Reza to Aftab Alam, no run, full delivery outside off stump, Alam swings and misses
• 16.5 Reza to Shapoor, 1 run, gets off the mark finally. Good length delivery on the leg stump, Zadran flicks it to mid-wicket
• 16.4 Reza to Shapoor, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Zadran punches it off the back foot
• 16.3 Reza to Shapoor, no run, fullish delivery on the leg stump, Zadran defends from the crease
• Aftab Alam, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 16.2 Reza to Dawlat Zadran, out Caught by Mahmudullah!! Whatever bowling changes Rahim has done today, has worked wonder for him. Slower delivery outside off stump, Zadran looks to smash this out of the ground but mistimes it, extra-cover runs back and takes a fine catch. Dawlat Zadran c Mahmudullah b Reza 1(6)
• Reza to Dawlat Zadran, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
• 16.1 Reza to Dawlat Zadran, no run, slower delivery outside off stump, Zadran slogs and misses
• 16.1 Reza to Dawlat Zadran, wide, full and down the leg side, easy call for the umpire
• Farhad Reza, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
• 15.6 S Rahman to Shapoor, no run, on the off stump, this time he defends well
• 15.5 S Rahman to Shapoor, no run, the off-spinner from Rahman, Zadran plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten
• 15.4 S Rahman to Dawlat Zadran, 1 run, quicker delivery on the leg stump, Zadran looks to pull and gets an inside edge to mid-wicket
• 15.3 S Rahman to Dawlat Zadran, no run, again the batsman wasn't in full control while defending that one
• 15.2 S Rahman to Dawlat Zadran, no run, flighted delivery outside off stump, Zadran slogs and misses
• 15.1 S Rahman to Dawlat Zadran, no run, struck on the back leg, but was hit just outside leg stump. Zadran had no clue about that
• Sabbir Rahman, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
• 14.6 Mahmudullah to Shapoor, no run, covers the sticks and defends the tossed up delivery off the front foot
• 14.5 Mahmudullah to Shapoor, no run, lunges forward and blocks well this time
• 14.4 Mahmudullah to Shapoor, no run, flatter delivery outside off stump, Zadran just manages to fend it awkwardly
• 14.3 Mahmudullah to Shapoor, no run, he goes for a wild slog and the extra bounce beats him all ends up. The ball spins a long way and goes past the outside edge
• 14.2 Mahmudullah to Shapoor, no run, tossed up from round the wicket, defended off the front foot
• Shapoor Zadran, left handed bat, comes to the crease
• 14.1 Mahmudullah to Shafiqullah, out Caught by Rahim!! That's a bizarre dismissal! Short down the leg side, probably was pushed through quicker, Shafiq looks to pull but is hurried up, the ball rolls off the thigh and Rahim takes a smart grab. Umpire Llong raises his finger in a flash. He reckons there was a bit of glove involved! Replays show that no glove was involved. Shafiqullah c Rahim b Mahmudullah 16(16) [4s-2]
• Mahmudullah to Shafiqullah, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
• Mahmudullah [3.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
• Dawlat Zadran, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 13.6 Razzak to Shenwari, out Lbw!! Squared him up completely and he's struck plumb in front. Bowled slower through the air, the ball pitches and spins away sharply and hits him in front of middle. Afghanistan sink further. Shenwari lbw b Razzak 1(3)
• Razzak to Shenwari, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!
• 13.5 Razzak to Shafiqullah, 1 run, short again, cut off the back foot, the fielder fumbles at point and Rahim didn't like it
• 13.4 Razzak to Shafiqullah, no run, quicker delivery on the off stump, gently blocked
• 13.3 Razzak to Shafiqullah, FOUR, poor bowling from Razzak. Again drops it short and Shafiq does extremely well to rock back and connect the pull really well to split deep mid-wicket and long-on to perfection
• 13.2 Razzak to Shafiqullah, FOUR, short delivery on the off stump, Shafiq rocks back and pulls it handsomely to the deep mid-wicket fence
• 13.1 Razzak to Shafiqullah, no run, shortish outside off stump, Shafiq cuts and misses
• 12.6 Shakib to Shenwari, no run, lunges forward and drives the full delivery to cover
• 12.5 Shakib to Shafiqullah, 1 run, on the pads this time, Shafiq flicks it to backward square leg
• 12.4 Shakib to Shafiqullah, no run, on the stumps again, Shafiq gently flicks it to mid-wicket
• 12.3 Shakib to Shafiqullah, no run, bit of extra bounce and the outside edge falls short of slip. Beat him in the flight and off the pitch as well, the batsman was opened up completely
• 12.2 Shakib to Shafiqullah, no run, on the stumps, fended away gently
• 12.1 Shakib to Shenwari, 1 run, flighted delivery on the stumps, driven down to long-off
• Shakib Al Hasan [2.0-0-6-2] is back into the attack
• Samiullah Shenwari, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 11.6 Razzak to Shafiqullah, out Sadiq Run Out!! 1 run completed. Another risky run taken and Afghanistan lose another wicket. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Shafiq drills it to mid-wicket and Sadiq calls for a second run that wasn't there, the fielder runs forward, grabs the ball and fires a sensational direct hit at the bowler's end. Even a full length dive couldn't save Sadiq. Sadiq run out (Reza) 10(23)
• Razzak to Shafiqullah, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!
• 11.5 Razzak to Shafiqullah, no run, leading edge doesn't carry, meanwhile Sadiq tries to run out himself going for a non-existent single. Chaos out there
• 11.4 Razzak to Sadiq, 1 run, tossed up outside off stump, Sadiq slog-sweeps along the ground to deep mid-wicket
• 11.3 Razzak to Shafiqullah, 1 run, short enough for Shafiq to hang bacl and tuck it away to backward square leg
• 11.2 Razzak to Sadiq, 1 run, advances and smashes the flighted delivery to long-off
• 11.1 Razzak to Sadiq, no run, flatter delivery on the stumps, blocked from the crease
• 10.6 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, 1 run, slog sweep again but this tim straight to wide long-on
• 10.5 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, shortish outside off stump, Sadiq looks to cut and misses
• 10.4 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, I never quite seen that. Batsman comes down the track to an off-spinner bowling over the wicket and decides to pad it. Huge shout for LBW but the umpire wasn't interested
• 10.3 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, flighted delivery on the stumps, fended awkwardly
• 10.2 Mahmudullah to Shafiqullah, 3 runs, flatter delivery outside off stump, Shafiq cuts well to square third man, the fielder in the deep saves one with his boot
• 10.1 Mahmudullah to Shafiqullah, no run, nicely floated up outside off stump, Shafiq defends off the front foot
• 9.6 Razzak to Sadiq, no run, gets right across the line and sweeps it straight to short fine leg
• 9.5 Razzak to Sadiq, no run, this one turns a bit more and almost beats Sadiq's defence. He just manages to fend it with an angled bat
• 9.4 Razzak to Shafiqullah, 1 run, on the leg stump, Shafiq flicks it to square leg
• Shafiqullah Shafiq, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 9.3 Razzak to Nabi, out Lbw!! That looked plumb! The slider from Razzak, Nabi doesn't pick it and plays for the turn, the ball goes through the gate to strike him in front of middle. Afghanistan have lost half their side. Nabi lbw b Razzak 3(9)
• Razzak to Nabi, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!
• 9.2 Razzak to Nabi, no run, flatter delivery outside off stump, Nabi pushes it to cover
• 9.1 Razzak to Sadiq, 1 run, tossed up on the stumps, Sadiq lunges awkwardly and smashes it to long-on
• 8.6 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, leg byes, 1 run, the slog sweep this time, gets outside the line of off and misses, the ball rolls to short third man
• 8.5 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, byes, 2 runs, slows this down and this grips and bounces a lot more than the batsman anticipated. Luckily it went over the off stump
• 8.4 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, straighter delivery on the stumps, blocked off the back foot
• 8.3 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, on the stumps, gently fends it into the on-side
• 8.2 Mahmudullah to Nabi, 1 run, tossed up outside off stump, Nabi cuts off the front foot to sweeper cover
• 8.1 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, 1 run, risky run again but the throw wasn't on target at the bowler's end. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Sadiq turns it to short fine leg and sets off
• 7.6 Razzak to Sadiq, 1 run, leans forward and flicks the flighted delivery to mid-wicket
• 7.5 Razzak to Nabi, 1 run, on the stumps, turned away to backward square leg
• 7.4 Razzak to Nabi, no run, this one grips and turns a long way, Nabi plays inside the line of the ball and had no clue about it
• 7.3 Razzak to Sadiq, 3 runs, full delivery outside off stump, Sadiq crashes it along the ground through extra-cover, Masrafe runs to his right from sweeper cover, puts in the dive and saves one
• 7.2 Razzak to Sadiq, no run, flatter delivery outside off stump, Sadiq looks to late-cut and again is beaten
• 7.1 Razzak to Sadiq, no run, fullish delivery on the stumps, Sadiq pushes it back to the bowler
• Abdur Razzak, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
• 6.6 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, 1 run, on the leg stump, Sadiq flicks it to square leg and gets off the mark
• 6.5 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, flatter delivery outside off stump, Sadiq again opens the face of the bat to guide and doesn't make contact
• 6.4 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, similar ball, similar shot and similar result
• 6.3 Mahmudullah to Sadiq, no run, floated up outside off stump, Sadiq looks to steer it to third man but gets beaten
• 6.2 Mahmudullah to Nabi, 1 run, tossed up outside off stump, Nabi pushes it to cover and gets off the mark
• Karim Sadiq, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 6.1 Mahmudullah to Nawroz, out Nawroz Run Out!! Flighted delivery on the stumps, Nawroz flicks it to short fine leg and sets off for a run, Nabi responds but the throw was at the bowler's end and Shabbir fires a direct hit at the bowler's end. Nawroz run out (S Rahman) 0(1)
• Mahmudullah to Nawroz, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!
• Mahmudullah, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
• Bangladesh celebrate a run-out and well, well, well, Mangal is OUT! Stunning piece of fielding!
• 5.6 Shakib to Nabi, no run, tossed up on the stumps, Nabi sweeps and under-edges it to short fine leg
• 5.5 Shakib to Nabi, no run, flighted delivery outside off stump, Nabi is again beaten by the turn as he pushes off the front foot, Rahim takes the bails off in a flash but Nabi's back foot was grounded
• Stumping check sent upstairs. No issues with the no-ball, Nabi's safe!
• 5.4 Shakib to Nabi, no run, play and a miss. Flighted delivery outside off stump, Nabi plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten. Lot of turn there for Shakib
• Mohammad Nabi, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• Slip and a short leg in place. The crowd on its feet!
• 5.3 Shakib to Taraki, out Caught by Nasir Hossain!! The crowd goes berserk! Shakib is on a hat-trick! Flighted delivery on the off stump, Taraki comes on the front foot and tries to flick, gets a leading edge that goes straight into the hands of the man at cover. Afghanistan in all sorts of trouble! Taraki c Nasir Hossain b Shakib 7(11) [4s-1]
• Shakib to Taraki, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
• Nawroz Mangal, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 5.2 Shakib to Naib, out Caught by S Rahman!! Shabbir will feel releaved now! This is a fine catch I must say. He had to cover a lot of distance and he's done well to cling on to it. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Naib goes a slog-sweep and gets a bit of a top-edge, the ball goes wide of long-on who runs to his right to complete a good catch. Naib c S Rahman b Shakib 21(22) [4s-3 6s-1]
• Shakib to Naib, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
• 5.1 Shakib to Naib, FOUR, Shabbir has dropped a simple catch. Flighted delivery on the stumps, Naib lofts it high in the air, doesn't get the connection right, it goes straight to long-on who spills it. What's more? It rolls onto the boundary as well
• 4.6 A Hossain to Taraki, no run, another slower ball, this time well outside off stump, Taraki slogs and misses
• 4.5 A Hossain to Taraki, no run, a well disguised slower delivery outside off stump, Taraki had no clue about it
• 4.4 A Hossain to Naib, 1 run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Naib punches it to extra-cover
• 4.3 A Hossain to Naib, leg byes, FOUR, wide of the crease and angles the short of length delivery down the leg side, Naib tickles it on it way to fine leg, but the umpire reckons he missed it. What an over this is turning out to be already
• 4.2 A Hossain to Naib, FOUR, short and wide outside off stump, Naib slaps it off the back foot through cover-point and it races away to the fence
• 4.1 A Hossain to Naib, FOUR, short of length delivery outside off stump, Naib clears the front leg out of the way and slogs it high in the air, the ball goes on the bounce to the wide long-on fence beating the fielder in the deep
• 4.1 A Hossain to Taraki, no ball, leg byes, 1 run, oversteps as he delivers this short of length delivery down the leg side, Taraki misses the flick and is hit on the pad. It'll be afree-hit now
• Al-Amin Hossain [1.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
• 3.6 Shakib to Naib, no run, on the stumps, turned away to mid-wicket
• 3.5 Shakib to Naib, no run, squared him up with a flighted delivery, the ball goes off the outside edge to point
• 3.4 Shakib to Taraki, 1 run, optimistic appeal for LBW. Quicker delivery on the stumps, Taraki slogs and gets an inside edge onto the back pad, the ball rolls to third man. Good spot that by the umpire
• 3.3 Shakib to Naib, 1 run, turns this off the back foot to mid-wicket and looks for a second but decides against it
• 3.2 Shakib to Naib, no run, nicely floated up, Naib rocks back and looks to cut but gets a thick outside edge that goes on the bounce to short third man
• 3.1 Shakib to Naib, no run, flighted delivery just outside off stump, Naib defends well off the front foot
• Shakib Al Hasan, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
• 2.6 Mortaza to Taraki, FOUR, connects well and it goes over the infield. Short enough for Taraki to rock back and pull, the short of length delivery races away to the mid-wicket boundary
• 2.5 Mortaza to Taraki, no run, advances and looks to muscle it out of the ground but misses the ball completely. Mortaza dragged the length short as he saw the batsman dance down the track
• 2.4 Mortaza to Taraki, no run, fullish and swinging away just outside off stump, Taraki looks to dab it to third man but misses
• 2.3 Mortaza to Naib, 1 run, short of length delivery on the stumps, Naib pulls it wide of mid-on
• 2.2 Mortaza to Taraki, 1 run, another quick single and no harm done this time. Pushes the short of length delivery to cover-point and sets off, the throw wasn't on target at the bowler's end
• 2.1 Mortaza to Taraki, no run, ah! Beaten all ends up!. Wonderful ball that! Good length delivery outside off stump, the ball swings away late to beat Taraki's poke
• 2.1 Mortaza to Taraki, wide, this one's very wide, the outswing on this takes the length ball further away, the umpire doesn't like the width on it. Taraki slashes hard but misses
• 1.6 A Hossain to Naib, no run, wants another quick single but sensibly sent back by Taraki. Why are a staring at Taraki Naib? There was never a run in it. Just tucks the short of length delivery straight to mid-wicket and looks for a run
• 1.5 A Hossain to Naib, no run, similar kind of delivery. This one swings back in a touch to beat Naib's swipe across the line, he's hit on the thigh pad but it was heading down the leg side
• 1.4 A Hossain to Naib, no run, wide of the crease, good length delivery angled in, Naib looks to play across the line, misses and is hit on the pad
• 1.3 A Hossain to Naib, SIX, ah! The first big swing has been connected fairly well! Didn't get the middle of the bat but it had enough legs to clear the long-on fence. Short of a length delivery outside off stump, Naib plays across the line to bring up the first maximum of the tournament
• 1.2 A Hossain to Naib, no run, Rahim liked this behind the stumps and applauds his bowler. Good length delivery outside off stump, just nipping away to Naib's back foot push
• 1.1 A Hossain to Taraki, 1 run, sensible batting, just flicks the short of length delivery to mid-wicket and gets off the mark
• Al-Amin Hossain, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
• The debutant is on strike now.
• 0.6 Mortaza to Naib, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Naib punches it to cover-point and looks for a quick single but his partner was not interested. The fielder has a shy at the striker's end but misses. It would have been very close as Naib wasn't fully in when the ball passed the stumps
• 0.5 Mortaza to Naib, no run, good bit of shape away from the right-hander, Naib looks to cut but misses
• 0.4 Mortaza to Naib, no run, another slog! Not sure what they are doing Afghanistan! This was well outside off stump and swinging away, in the end he only connects thin air
• 0.3 Mortaza to Naib, no run, fullish and just outside off stump, Naib swings hard and mistimes it to mid-on
• 0.2 Mortaza to Naib, no run, good length delivery shaping away nicely, Naib shoulders arms
• 0.2 Mortaza to Naib, wide, sprays this way outside off stump, bit of outswing as well, but too far away from the batsman
• Gulbadin Naib, right handed bat, comes to the crease
• 0.1 Mortaza to Mohammad Shahzad, out Caught by Mahmudullah!! No, no, no, Mohammad Shahzad! This is T20 cricket alright but you still got to get a glimpse of the conditions before going for the shots. Nothing but a good length delivery outside off stump, the ball swung away slightly, Shahzad wanted to muscle it out of the ground and hence went for a wild swing, he doesn't get it from the middle of the bat, the ball goes up in the air and mid-off runs to his left and grabs a fine catch. The crowd goes berserk. The fielder at extra-cover almost collided with Mahmudullah! Mohammad Shahzad c Mahmudullah b Mortaza 0(1)
• Mortaza to Mohammad Shahzad, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
• Mohammad Shahzad and Taraki are at the crease. Mohammad Shahzad is on strike. Mortaza will open the attack
• A slip in place, fine leg is inside the ring.
• The Afghanistan openers are warming-up on the sidelines while the Bangladesh side is in a huddle. The players hit the ground running and we are all set for the action to begin.
• The teams are lining up for the national anthems. Nabi introduces his players to the Bangladesh Cricket Board President and now he shakes hands with the Bangladeshi players. Big crowd in already, the atmosphere is good.
• Teams:
• Afghanistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad(w), Najeeb Taraki, Nawroz Mangal, Karim Sadiq, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Mohammad Nabi(c), Gulbadin Naib, Samiullah Shenwari, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam
• Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim(w/c), Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mahmudullah, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe Mortaza, Al-Amin Hossain, Abdur Razzak
• Pitch Report: "It's rock hard and it means the ball will come on nicely to the bat. The grass is nicely rolled in. So this should be a good batting track," reckons Wasim Akram.
• Nabi: "We are not under pressure. We will try to play to our best and hopefully, we will do well. We are confident, especially after the win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. We are happy to bat first. Now we will try and do well with the bat and put the opposition under pressure. We have Shafiqullah, Taraki in the side."
• Rahim: "It's just a game of cricket, the pressure will be there but the boys are looking forward to do well. We'll have a bowl first. Nothing wrong with the wicket but you never know that's a good score on the board. All the players are fit and my finger is good, I will keep wickets."
• Bangladesh have won the toss and have opted to field
• These two teams played the last edition in 2012 but didn't do well and lost all their games to knocked out early in the tournament. Now that they have a bit of experience under their belt, things could be different for them. It will be interesting to see the playing XIs of both the sides. They would have done their testing in the warm-up games. We'll bring you the toss and more in a short while. Stay tuned...
• Afghanistan's story has been quite amazing in recent times. Though they didn't win many games in the Asia Cup, they impressed many with their show and also went on to stun hosts Bangladesh. They've had a decent build up to the tournament, winning their warm-up game against Netherlands. Bangladesh on the other hand won both their practice games and will be looking forward to get off to a good start and qualify to the main tournament without any hurdles.
• 2007 - India, 2009 - Pakistan, 2010 - England, 2012 - West Indies. Who will be crowned champions in 2014? The stage is all set for teams to fight hard and get the better of each other! Hello and a warm welcome to the much awaited T20 Championship. The hosts, Bangladesh, kick off proceedings by locking horns with Afghanistan. Eight teams, in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE and Netherlands, will feature in the qualifying round for the main tournament which starts on March 21. These teams are split into two groups and the topper from each group will join eight other teams in Group 1 and Group 2 respectively.
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  The qualifying stage of the T20 WC kicks off with an interesting encounter. It's an important match for both Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Just one team will progress from the group to the main stages of the tournament and the opening clash could well be the decisive one of Group A.
• Bangladesh:
  
  The hosts will be itching to prove a point after their loss against the same opposition recently in the Asia Cup. The formats might differ but the core composition of both sides remain the same and that adds an extra edge to the contest.
  
  There will be pressure on Bangladesh with them being the hosts. They do have the experience to counter it. The return of Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi does strengthen the line up. Nevertheless, it will once again be Shakib Al Hasan who holds the key. The all-rounder has been one of the more successful players in this format and he will need to show the way for the other youngsters in the big tournament.
• Afghanistan:
  
  Theirs has been a story to marvel at and rejoice. Despite not having the luxuries and facilities of other sides, the team has won over many hearts purely out of their spirited performances. The side however will be looking to prove that their victory against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup was not just a flash in the pan. The team does possess a lot of talented individuals starting from the skipper, Mohammad Nabi. The likes of Mohammad Shahzad will find the format more suited to his attacking and attractive stroke play. It will be interesting to see the battle between the bristling fast-medium of Shapoor Zadran against Tamim right at the top as well. 
  
  With Afghanistan having established that they are no pushovers, the contest does promise a lot of exciting cricket.
• Quotes:
  We want to take revenge after being beaten in the Asia Cup - Mushfiqur Rahim makes his intentions quite clear
• Teams:
• Bangladesh (From): Mushfiqur Rahim(c), Al-Amin Hossain, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Anamul Haque(w), Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Sohag Gazi
• Afghanistan (From): Mohammad Nabi(c), Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad(w), Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shapoor Zadran, Asghar Stanikzai, Gulbadin Naib, Hamza Hotak, Mirwais Ashraf, Najeeb Taraki, Nawroz Mangal, Shafiqullah Shafiq