‘We showed good character’: Jaker after series win against Afghanistan

Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali praised his bowlers for "setting the tone" as the Tigers clinched the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with one game to spare following a thrilling two-wicket victory in the second match at Sharjah on Friday.

The win followed Bangladesh's four-wicket triumph in the opening game, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series.

Chasing 148, Bangladesh endured a topsy-turvy innings before Nurul Hasan Sohan's unbeaten 21-ball 31 and Shoriful Islam's late cameo sealed the win in the final over. Despite the nervy finish, Jaker heaped praise on his attack for laying the foundation.

"It feels good. As a team, we've played really well in the last two games and today we were more clinical. The bowlers set the tone, the wicket was better than yesterday, and we showed good character," Jaker said at the post-match presentation.

Afghanistan's openers provided a strong start, but the Bangladesh bowlers kept a firm grip to restrict them to 147 for 5. Shoriful was outstanding with the ball, returning figures of 1 for 13, before turning match-winner with the bat. His 11 off six balls, including a boundary off the first ball of the final over, took Bangladesh across the line.

"The wicket was good for batting. I just tried to do what I had done in practice. When I came to bat, Nurul told me not to throw my wicket away, so I looked to capitalize on anything full," said Shoriful, who was named player of the match.

Bangladesh's chase got off to a rocky start, with Tanzid Tamim (2), Parvez Hossain, and Saif Hassan (18) all dismissed inside the Powerplay to leave them reeling at 24 for 3. Saif's promising knock ended with a brilliant catch by Sediqullah Atal off Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

A 56-run stand between Shamim Hossain and Jaker revived hopes. Shamim took on Rashid Khan with authority, while Jaker rotated the strike and found timely boundaries. But Rashid's googly trapped Jaker (32 off 25) leg-before in the 11th over, and Shamim's switch hit against Noor Ahmed backfired in the 15th, costing him his wicket for 33.

The chase wobbled again when Rashid removed Nasum Ahmed (10) before Azmatullah Omarzai struck twice in the 18th over to dismiss Saifuddin and Rishad Hossain.

With 19 needed off two overs, Sohan kept his composure, launching Noor for a six to ease the equation. Shoriful then kept his nerve in the final stages, steering Bangladesh home with two balls to spare.

"We had to take our chances because they are quality spinners. We stayed positive and looked for boundaries… credit to the boys for that," said Jaker, defending his team's approach.

Bangladesh third and final T20I is scheduled for October 5 at the same venue.