Clinical Afghanistan thump Bangladesh by 8 wickets to draw level the T20I series

Afghanistan have ended their tour of Bangladesh on the high as the Mohammad Nabi-led unit beat the hosts by eight wickets in Dhaka on Saturday to draw level the two-match rubber.

Having suffered a 1-2 defeat in the three-match One-day International series and a 61-run hammering in the T20I series opener, Afghanistan displayed immense mental strength to comeback in the manner that they did on Saturday afternoon as they outclassed a confident Bangladesh unit in all departments.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh never really found any momentum during the course of the 20 overs as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

They got off to a disastrous start as both openers Munim Shahriar (4 off 10 deliveries) and Mohammad Naim (13 off 19 deliveries) not only got out cheaply but also ate up close to 5 overs (29 deliveries) between them for just 17 runs.

While Nabi dismissed Shahriar, Naim was run out by Karim Janat. The hosts kept losing wickets on a regular basis and it didn't help their cause that two of their best batsmen- Shakib Al Hasan (9 off 15 deliveries) and Liton Das (13 off 10 deliveries) failed to give any sort of momentum to the innings.

The only partnership of substance came from Mushfiqur Rahim (30 off 25 deliveries) and skipper Mahmudullah, who scored a 14-ball 21. The duo added 44 runs in just over 7 overs before the dismissal of the latter triggered yet another collapse.

For Afghanistan, the pace duo of  Fazalhaq Farooqi (3/18 in 4 overs) and Azmatullah (3/22 in 4 overs) were the prime wrecker-in-chiefs while Nabi applied the choke with his disciplined line and lengths as he conceded just 14 in 4 overs.

The target of 116 was never going to bother a power-packed batting line-up of Afghanistan and it didn't. 

Talented opener Hazratullah Zazai (59* off 45 deliveries) once again led from the front, and along with Usman Ghani (47 off 48 deliveries) ensured that Afghanistan chased the total with 8 wickets still in the bank and 14 balls to spare.

The T20I series ended in a deadlock thanks to Afghanistan's all-round performance. Azmatullah Omerzai was adjudged 'Player of the Match' for his brilliant spell while Fazalhaq Farooqi was awarded with the "Player Of the Series".

The left-arm pacer finished the series as the leading wicket-taker- 6 in 3 games @ 24.33 apiece.

Brief Scores:

Bangladesh 115/9 in 20 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 30 (25), Mahmudullah 21 (14); Fazalhaq Farooqi 3/18 (4) and Azmatullah Omerzai 3/22 (4)) lost to Afghanistan 121/2 in 17.4 overs (Hazratullah Zazai 59* (45), Usman Ghani 47 (48); Mahedi Hasan 1/19 (4)) by eight wickets