Bangladesh’s batting woes continue as Afghanistan clinch a big win

TBS Report

06 November, 2024, 11:30 pm

Last modified: 06 November, 2024, 11:33 pm

Formats may change, and so may the players, along with the intensity of the competition. But one thing remains constant for Bangladesh: their batting struggles. Whether it’s Test cricket, T20, or their favourite format, ODIs, Bangladesh continues to display disappointing batting performances. The trend persisted against Afghanistan, with Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team succumbing to the same batting frustrations. And the result followed suit — another dismal showing led to a significant defeat to Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Dubai, Bangladesh lost the first ODI of the three-match series by 92 runs. In terms of run margin, this marks Bangladesh’s third-biggest defeat against Afghanistan in ODIs. Out of 17 ODIs, Bangladesh have now suffered seven losses to Afghanistan. Amidst a day of extreme batting woes, Bangladesh collapsed with 15.3 overs to spare, losing their last seven wickets for just 23 runs.

The catalyst behind Bangladesh’s downfall was Afghanistan’s young bowler Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, whose spectacular bowling dismantled their batting line-up. The 18-year-old right-arm spinner, playing just his sixth ODI, single-handedly toppled Bangladesh’s batting order, claiming six wickets. He ended with career-best figures of 6 for 26 in 6.3 overs.

More to follow…