An excellent exhibition of spin and some fantastic death overs bowling by Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman took Bangladesh to a nail-biting eight run win over Afghanistan in their Asia Cup clash at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
With this win, Bangladesh retain their second spot in the group with two wins and a loss, total of four points. Sri Lanka is at the top with two wins in two matches. With a win and loss each, Afghanistan stays at third spot. If Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka in the final Group B clash, all three teams would have two wins each, with things coming down to net-run-rate.
During a run-chase of 155 runs, Nasum Ahmed struck on the first ball for Bangladesh, removing Sediqullah Atal, the half-centurion against Afghanistan for a golden duck.
Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz tried to get the scoreboard running with a few boundaries, but Nasum did not let Zadran go on for too long, trapping him lbw for a 12-ball five. Afghanistan was 18/2 in 4.1 overs.
At the end of six overs, Afghans were in a tricky spot at 27/2, with Gurbaz joined by Gulbadin Naib. The eighth over by Shamim Hossain fetched Afghanistan 16 runs, including a six by Gurbaz and a four by Naib.
Earlier, Skipper Rashid Khan (2/26) and his spin colleague Noor Ahmad (2/23) produced measly spells to restrict Bangladesh to 154/5 in their Group B clash.
Bangladesh were bolstered by a 31-ball 52 from opener Tanzid Hasan and his 63-run opening stand with Saif Hassan (30), powering the Tigers to 87 for one at the halfway mark.
But the two Afghan spinners, well backed by Azmatullah Omarzai (3-0-19-1), pulled things back with their accuracy and variations and put pressure back on Bangladesh.
Bangladesh had earlier picked up the scoring rate after a sedate start when Tanzid got four boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over in between surviving a leg-before appeal courtesy umpire's call.
Two of those fours came off edges that flew through and two were smacked down the ground past mid-on.
In the next over from AM Ghazanfar, Hassan showed intent smashing a huge six down the ground but it was Tanzid who hit more spectacular sixes off the Afghan spinner in the sixth over, one that sailed over long on and other that was picked up from his pads over deep square leg.
The partnership was broken by Afghanistan captain Rashid, whose delivery kept a little low and beat Saif's sweep to crash into the off-stump.
Bangladesh were still in cruise mode after 10 overs but they could not do much in the face of acute pressure from the Afghanistan spinners who kept tight lines and denied any room for the batters to free up their arms.
Tanzid, whose fifty included some attractive strokes, fell soon after Litton Das with Noor accounting for both of them. While Tanzid was caught by Ibrahim Zadran at long-off after a mishit, Bangladesh captain Das missed a paddle sweep to be adjudged leg-before.
Rashid then applied additional pressure when he pinned Shamim Hossain in front of the stumps for 11, with Bangladesh slumping to 121 for four in the 16th over.
In a crucial clash which could determine their progress into the Super Four, Bangladesh failed to find any late flourish but did manage to cross the 150-mark in the final over.
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