Bangladesh qualify for Asia Cup Super Four with Afghanistan win

Bangladesh pacers shared eight wickets between them as the Tigers beat Afghanistan 89 runs in their second and final Asia Cup group-stage fixture at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

This ensured that the Tigers have qualified for the Super Four stage but whether they will go through as group champions or runners-up will depend on Tuesday's result in the match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.  

Taskin Ahmed took four wickets, while Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud scalped three and one respectively to help bundle out Afghanistan for 245 after the Tigers posted 334 for five. 

Opener Ibrahim Zadran and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi notched up fifties but the target appeared too steep for Shahidi's side.

Zadran scored a 74-ball 75 and Shahidi managed a 60-ball 51.

The win puts Bangladesh in a decent position to qualify as Afghanistan would need to beat Sri Lanka by a big margin to stay in contention to make the Super Fours, while a win for the Lankans would guarantee qualification. 

Tiger have Afghanistan stifled

Shoriful Islam struck twice and Mehedi Hasan Miraz picked up one as Bangladesh reduced Afghanistan to 212 for six after the end of the 40th over. 

Shoriful send back Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Gulbadin Naib, while Mehedi Hasan Miraz castled Najibullah Zadran to give the Tigers a commanding position in the game.

Mushfiqur takes blinder as Tigers take third Afghan wicket 

Mushfiqur Rahim took gloved in a tremendous catch behind the stumps to help dismiss set batter Ibrahim Zadran, who scored a 74-ball 75.

The right-handed batter put away 10 fours and a six while stitching a 52-run stand with Hashmatullah Shahidi before he nicked one off pacer Hasan Mahmud leaving the Afghans three down for 138 after the completion of the 28th over. 

Taskin gets in on the act with second breakthrough 

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed put an end to a 78-run stand between Afghanistan batters Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran when he castled the former with a slower ball that was an off-cutter.

Rahmat managed a 57-ball 33 before he went for an expansive shot across the line in the 18th over leaving Afghanistan at 87 runs for the loss of two wickets.

Shoriful sends back Gurbaz to give Tigers first breakthrough 

Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam trapped Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw in the second over of the innings to give the Tigers their first breakthrough.

Shoriful managed to swing it back slightly as Gurbaz came down the wicket for an expansive shot but the batter faile to make contact and had to go back for just one runs as the umpire raised his finger.

Shanto, Miraz tons help Tigers post 334 against Afghanistan 

Bangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehedi Hasan Miraz scored tons to help the Tigers post 334 for five in their must-win Asia Cup contest against Afghanistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday.

Shanto smashed nine four and two sixes for his 105-ball 104, while Miraz put away three sixes and seven boundaries to pile on a 119-ball 112.

A late onslaught from skipper Shakib Al Hasan ensured Bangladesh post their highest ODI total away from home. The left-handed batter smashed four boundaries and a six for his 18-ball 32, and Mushfiqur Rahim chipped in with a 15-ball 25.

Shanto and Mushfiqur had to go back to the pavilion due to run outs and Miraz suffered from cramps which forced him to retire hurt.

The two wickets that were taken by bowlers were of Mohammad Naim and Towhid Hridoy.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Gulbadin Naib were the wicket-takers on a difficult day on the field for the Afghans.    

Unfortunate runout sees the end of Shanto 

Najmul Hossain Shanto saw an unfortunate slip end his 105-ball 104 in the 45th over. Shanto reverse swept Mujeeb Ur Rahman and scampered forward for a run but the ball went straight to the fielder at backward-point and Shanto responded by trying to get back to the crease but the batter slipped on the middle of the wicket and helplessly saw Rahmanullah Gurbaz break the stumps leaving the Tigers 282 for the loss of three following the completion of the 45th over. 

Shanto reaches ODI hundred No.2

Najmul Hossain Shanto smashed his second ODI hundred as he reached the landmark in the 43rd over. He took 101 deliveries and put away nine fours and two sixes in the process.

Miraz hits second ODI ton 

Mehedi Hasan Miraz hit his second ODI ton to set Bangladesh up for a big total. The right-handed batter six fours and two sixes as he took 115 balls to reach his ton in the 41st over. This took Bangladesh score to 239 for the loss of two, with Najmul Hossain Shanto unbeaten on 89, in line for his second ODI hundred.

Back-to-back fifties for Shanto 

Bangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto brought up consecutive fifties as the Tigers look set for a big total against Afghanistan. 

Shanto reached his fifth ODI fifty when he flicked left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi for six over deep fine-leg in the 31st over. The end of the over saw Bangladesh accumulate 171 runs for the loss of two wickets, with Mehedi Hasan Miraz unbeaten on 75 at the other end.

Miraz's fifty keeps the board ticking for Tigers

Mehedi Hasan Miraz scored his third ODI fifty to help Bangladesh build on their start.

Miraz, who was pushed to the top-order as a makeshift opener, reached his fifty in 65 balls inside the 24th over. He hit four boundaries and a solitary maximum to help take Bangladesh's score to 129 for two, with Najmul Hossain Shanto unbeaten on 35 at the other end.

Bangladesh lose both openers 

Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim managed a 32-ball 28, his career-best, to help the Tigers score 60 runs inside the Powerplay but the left-hander couldn't prolong his innings as he was castled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 10th over, giving Afghanistan their first breakthrough.

The following over, Towhid Hridoy, who was promoted to number three, was dismissed after edging a full-length delivery to first slip off the bowling of seamer Gulbadin Naib to leave the Tigers two down for 63.

Tigers get confident start 

Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim managed to get a confident start as he along with makeshift opener Mehedi hasan Miraz helped Bangladesh score 33 runs in the first five overs of the innings against Afghanistan in their must-win Asia Cup encounter in Lahore on Sunday.

Naim put away four boundaries for his unbeaten 19-ball 21, surpassing his previous best of 16, while Mehedi remained not out on two.

Bangladesh bat with three changes in must-win game against Afghanistan

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first against Afghanistan in an Asia Cup contest they must win to stay alive. 

The all-rounder mentioned the sporting nature of the Gaddafi wicket in Lahore and the hot and humid conditions for his decision.   

Shakib mentioned the team made three changes from the five-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka, with Shamim Hossain, Hasan Mahmud and Afif Hossain coming in.

Bangladesh XI: 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (c), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Shamim Hossain Patwary, 8 Afif Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Shoriful Islam

Bangladesh will need a win to stay alive in the competition. However, just a win might not be enough for them to progress to the Super 4 stage, given they have already suffered a five-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the opening Group B contest on Wednesday. 

Bangladesh could actually confirm their Super 4 berth today if they beat the Afghans by such a big margin that it helps take their net run-rate, currently -0.951, past Sri Lanka's net run-rate of 0.951. 

But the Tigers will realistically be looking to get a win under their belt first and then depend on the outcome of the Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan match on Tuesday.