Afghanistan claimed a convincing five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first One-Day International (ODI) of their ongoing series, played yesterday in Abu Dhabi.
Coming off a clean sweep in the preceding T20 series, Bangladesh entered the ODI series with high confidence after winning the toss and electing to bat first. However, the Afghan bowlers quickly took control, restricting Bangladesh to 221 all out in 48.5 overs.
Towhid Hridoy (56) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (60) were the only batters to offer resistance, putting together a valuable 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Apart from them, the rest of the lineup faltered against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack.
For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai were the stars with the ball, taking three wickets each, while M. Ghazanfar chipped in with two crucial dismissals.
In reply, Afghanistan’s chase was steady and composed. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hashmatullah Shahidi both scored 50 apiece to lay a strong foundation. Omarzai then capped off his brilliant all-round performance with 40 runs to steer Afghanistan home in 47.1 overs with five wickets in hand.
Bangladesh’s Tanzim Hasan Sakib was the pick of their bowlers, claiming three wickets.
With this win, Afghanistan took a 1–0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
Azmatullah Omarzai was deservedly named Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round display.
