Saif steals spotlight as Bangladesh complete Afghanistan cleansweep

Bangladesh's bowlers set the match up and yet it was in-form batter Saif Hassan who stole the spotlight with a match-winning half-century as the Tigers romped to a six-wicket win in the third and final T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Thursday, completing a 3-0 series sweep.

Chasing 144, Saif was at his elegant best, smashing seven towering sixes and two fours in an unbeaten 38-ball 64 -- his fourth T20I half-century -- to guide Bangladesh home with two overs to spare. 

Saif, who had been in fine touch in the Asia Cup last month, combined with opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim for a 55-run stand after Parvez Hossain Emon (14 off 16) fell in the fifth over. Tanzid contributed a patient 33 off 33 balls before being dismissed, while Nurul Hasan Sohan hit the winning runs, remaining unbeaten on 10 off nine deliveries.

Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets in the 14th over, removing Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain to briefly stall Bangladesh's progress. But Saif's composure at the other end ensured there were no further hiccups as Bangladesh wrapped up another convincing win.

Earlier, Bangladesh's bowlers continued their fine run, restricting Afghanistan to 143 for nine after skipper Jaker Ali elected to bowl first. Mohammad Saifuddin and Nasum Ahmed led the charge with three and two wickets respectively, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib also chipped in with two scalps.

Shoriful Islam set the tone early, dismissing opener Ibrahim Zadran for seven, before Nasum removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the next over. Saifuddin then ripped through the middle order with a tidy spell of 3-15, while Sakib (2-24) finished strongly at the death.

Darwish Rasooli top-scored for Afghanistan with 32 off 29 balls, but his dismissal triggered another collapse. Mujeeb Ur Rahman's unbeaten 23 off 18 provided some late resistance as Afghanistan posted a modest total.

With the series victory, Bangladesh not only secured their first-ever T20I clean sweep in a three-match series against Afghanistan but also handed the hosts their first bilateral T20I series defeat in the UAE since 2015. The Tigers swept Afghanistan 2-0 at home in 2023 in a two-match T20I series.

Bangladesh's bowlers set the match up and yet it was in-form batter Saif Hassan who stole the show with a match-winning half-century as the Tigers romped to a six-wicket win in the third and final T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan on Thursday.

Chasing 144, Saif was at it elegant best as he smashed seven towering sixes and two fours for an unbeaten 38-ball 64 -- his fourth half-century in the format -- which guided Tigers over the line with two overs to spare. The right-hander forged a 55-run stand with opener Tanzid Tamim (33 off 33) after Parvez Emon after got dismissed in the fifth over for a sluggish 16-ball 14. Nurul Hasan Sohan hit the winning runs, remaining uneaten on 10 off nine balls. 

Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up two wickets as he removed Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain in the 14th over. 

With the win, Bangladesh completed a cleansweep having already won the first two matches at the same venue. 

Saifuddin, Nasum shine as Bangladesh restrict Afghanistan to 143–9

Bangladesh's bowlers maintained their stranglehold over Afghanistan, delivering another disciplined performance to restrict the hosts to 143 for nine in the third and final T20I in Sharjah on Sunday.

With the series already sealed 2-0, the Tigers entered the contest eyeing a clean sweep and their bowlers ensured the momentum remained firmly with them.

Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam (1-33) set the tone early, removing opener Ibrahim Zadran for just seven in the third over. Afghanistan's troubles deepened when left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed (2-24) struck in the very next over, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 12.

Mohammad Saifuddin then joined the act with a clinical three-wicket burst, finishing with impressive figures of 3-15. His first strike came at the end of the Powerplay when a full toss was missed by Wafiullah Tarikhil (11), leaving Afghanistan at 39 for three after six overs.

Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal tried to rebuild with a 34-run stand for the fourth wicket, but the pressure kept mounting. Atal's 23-ball 28 ended when he became Saifuddin's second victim, and soon after, Rasooli fell for 32 off 29 balls, having hit two fours and a six.

Lower down the order, Mujeeb Ur Rahman's unbeaten cameo gave Afghanistan something to defend. The spinner struck four boundaries in his 18-ball 23, while captain Rashid Khan chipped in with 12 off seven balls to push the total past 140.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib (2-24) was effective at the death, closing out the innings alongside Saifuddin as Afghanistan failed to build on any of their partnerships.

Tigers to bowl first 

Bangladesh skipper Jaker Ali won the toss and chose to bowl first in their third and final T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Sunday. 

Bangladesh have already taken the series 2-0 with wins in the first two matches and are looking for a cleansweep. 

The series loss is also Afghanistan's first bilateral T20I series defeat in the UAE since 2015. They had won nine in a row before this.

The Tigers made just one change as they rested left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman for right-arm quickTanzim Sakib. 

Bangladesh XI: 1 Parvez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Saif Hassan, 4 Nurul Hasan, 5 Jaker Ali (capt & wk), 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Rishad Hossain, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Afghanistan XI: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Bashir Ahmad, 10 Wafiullah Tarakhil, 11 Abdullah Ahmadzai