BAN vs AFG 2nd ODI | Record Opening Stand Between Gurbaz & Zadran Lifts Afghanistan To A Huge Total
Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran during partnership in 2nd ODI (Twitter)
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 331/9 in 50 overs- [Rahmanullah Gurbaz 145 (125), Ibrahim Zadran 100 (119); Shakib Al Hasan 2/50 (10), Mustafizur Rahman 2/60 (10)
A record partnership in Afghanistan cricket history between openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (145 off 125) and Ibrahim Zadran (100 off 119) has helped the Afghan nation post a mammoth 331/9 in 50 overs in the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh on Saturday.
Batting first, opener Gurbaz set the tone for Afghanistan as he belted the Bangladeshi attack to all corners of the stadium in Chattogram.
He was brilliantly aided by Zadran, and together, the duo went about dismantling the Bangladeshi attack by hammering 256 runs in just over 35 overs.
Gurbaz breezed to a run-a-ball hundred, and just as he was looking set to breach the 150-run mark, he was trapped LBW by Shakib Al Hasan.
The dismissal triggered a collapse as they went from being 1-256 in the 37th over to 286/4 in the 44th, with centurion Zadran falling to Mustafizur Rahman.
Bangladesh continued to tighten the screws, and it resulted in more wickets as Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud polished off four wickets between them.
Eventually, it was an unbeaten cameo (25* off 15) from Mohammad Nabi, which propelled Afghanistan to their highest-ever ODI total in an away game.
As for the Bangladeshi attack, once again, it was Shakib Al Hasan, who was the pick of the bowlers. The experienced left-arm orthodox gave away just 50 runs while also accounting for two major wickets, including Gurbaz, which triggered a collapse.