Birthday boy Rashid Khan smashed a superb unbeaten half-century and put on 95 runs with Gulbadin Naib for the eighth wicket, as Afghanistan made a stunning fightback to post a competitive 255 for 7 in their Group B Asia Cup match.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Afghanistan were initially struggling against a disciplined Bangladesh bowling attack led by veteran left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, who grabbed four wickets for 42 runs. But Rashid (57*) and Gulbadin (42*) turned the tables on Bangladesh in the final 10 overs. The duo added 95 runs in the final 10 overs with a flurry of boundaries which undid all the good work by the Bangladeshi bowlers earlier. They came together in the 41st over at 160 for 7 and remained unconquered till the end.
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Rashid, one of the premier leg-spinners in the world, played the role of a batting anchor for his side as he hit eight fours and one six in his 32-ball unbeaten innings. Gulbadin faced 38 balls and hit five fours.
Rashid, who turns 20 today, hit four boundaries in the final over bowled by Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza to end the innings in style.
Earlier in the innings, Hashmatullah Shahidi kept the Afghans in the hunt with a fighting 92-ball 58 after his side was reduced to 28 for 2 by the sixth over itself.
Wickets fell around Shahidi, with only opener Mohammad Shahzad (37) sharing a 51-run partnership for the third wicket.
Debutant pacer Abu Hider (2/50) opened the bowling for Bangladesh and he got his first ODI wicket—that of Afghanistan opener Ihsanullah (8)—off his fourth delivery.
Hider had his second wicket in the sixth over as Rahmat Shah (10) was completely beaten and bowled by a beautiful delivery.
Shahidi came out at this juncture when Afghanistan were two down for 28 and he and Shahzad steadied the innings before Shakib broke the stand. Shahzad holed out to long on where Hider took a spectacular catch.
Afghanistan crossed the 100-run mark exactly at the halfway stage, but soon Shakib bowled Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan (8), who was beaten by the flight of the delivery and played the wrong line to see his stumps getting uprooted.
Shakib then added another wicket to his kitty in the 34th over, dismissing Samiullah Shenwari (18) to reduce Afghanistan to 139 for 5.
Shahidi was holding one end up all this while but he was also out in the 38th over as he edged a Rubel Hossain delivery to the wicketkeeper, Liton Das.
At 160 for 7 in the 41st over, it seemed that Afghanistan would struggle to even reach 200 but Rashid and Gulbadin had other ideas.
