BAN vs AFG: Under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh opted to field first against Afghanistan, captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi, at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on October 7. They emerged victorious by a margin of 6 wickets, marking a significant achievement for Bangladesh regarding balls remaining during a World Cup match. This surpasses their previous best of 52 balls remaining against the Netherlands in the 2011 World Cup.
BAN vs AFG | Bangladesh won by 6 wickets | World Cup 2023
Afghanistan had the upper hand in their recent encounters with a 3-2 record against Bangladesh, having won three of their last five meetings. However, they suffered defeats in their two most recent encounters with the Bangladeshi side. This World Cup campaign might be the last for Bangladesh’s stalwarts, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah.
With this victory, Bangladesh secured their third consecutive opening match win in a World Cup, having previously triumphed over Afghanistan in 2015 and South Africa in 2019. After winning the toss, Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, elected to bowl.
Despite a promising start with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (47) and Ibrahim Zadran (22) building momentum, Afghanistan’s fortunes turned for the worse as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Eventually, at the 37.2-over mark, all Afghan batsmen were back in the pavilion, with the team’s total at 156.
Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were the standout bowlers for Bangladesh, each claiming three wickets, while Shoriful Islam took two, and Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed each secured one. In pursuit of a target of 157 runs, Bangladesh did face some setbacks, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz (57) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (59) steadied the innings and guided the team to a comfortable 6-wicket victory in just 34.4 overs.
