Sharjah: In a bid to sweep the three-match T20 series, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan in the third and final match tomorrow at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE. The match starts at 8.30 PM and will be aired live on T Sports and Nagorik TV. Bangladesh had already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, following their four-wicket and two-wicket victories in the first two matches.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a victory in the third match will complete a highly successful mission for Bangladesh, which they are craving after a disastrous Asia Cup campaign. Although Bangladesh proved superior to Afghanistan in the first two matches, their performance was not something that can draw plaudits. On both occasions, they experienced batting collapses, keeping them on the threshold of defeat.
Chasing a modest target of 152 in the first match, Bangladesh was on course for a facile victory as the opening duo of Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan Tamim added 109 runs for the opening stand in just 11 overs. However, a sensational collapse saw Bangladesh lose six wickets for nine runs before Nurul Hasan Sohan secured a hard-fought victory. In the second match, they faced a top-order collapse that left them at 24-3 while chasing a victory target of 148. Thanks to middle-order resistance, they regained control before suffering from another collapse. Nurul Hasan Sohan came to the rescue yet again to help the side clinch a two-wicket victory in the last over.
Jaker Ali Anik, who is leading the side in the absence of regular captain Liton Das, expressed happiness over winning the series rather than focusing on the collapses in both matches. "It feels good. As a team, we've played really well in the last two games and we were more clinical," he said after the second game. "The bowlers set the tone, the wicket was better, and we showed good character. We had to take our chances because they are quality spinners. We stayed positive and looked for boundaries."
Bangladesh bowlers have indeed been exceptional over the last two years and also kept the side in the contest in the Asia Cup, only to see the batters undermining their efforts. Bangladesh usually does not believe in keeping a winning squad, evidenced by their tendency to shuffle the squad regularly since the start of this year. In the first two matches against Afghanistan, they tinkered with the squad and are expected to make some changes for the third match too.
A victory in the third match will also help Bangladesh take revenge for their whitewash at the hands of Afghanistan back in 2018. Overall the two teams have met 15 times in this format, with Bangladesh for the first time in a leading position in the head-to-head battle, winning eight and losing seven.