The 3rd match of the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 between Bangladesh and Afghanistan ended up being a kill-joy as it was a one-sided game. Bangladesh ruled the roost in this match and made sure that they lead the charge in this game at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Shakib Al Hasan wore his captaincy hat with pride and led the team from the front, ticking mostly all the boxes in the game. While batting first, Afghanistan managed to score only 156 runs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaaz top-scored for the Afghans with a knock of 47 runs in 62 deliveries. His knock was laced with 4 fours and 1 six and all he needed was a little bit of support from the other end.
In response, Bangladesh chased down the total without a lot of hiccups. It was a perfect game for the Bangladeshis and they would be proud of their performance.
We take a look at the top 3 talking points of the BAN vs AFG game in this ICC ODI World Cup 2023 game:
1. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s brilliant all-round prowess
As Shakib Al Hasan comes close to drawing curtains on his glittering cricketing career, Bangladesh would heave a sigh of relief as a prodigy is developing. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is slowly and gradually proving his mettle and skills.
He was fantastic with the ball and the bat today and deservedly won the player of the match award in Dharamshala. Apart from bagging 3 wickets, Miraz also scored 57 runs in 73 balls.
2. Shakib Al Hasan’s good captaincy
The number 1 all-rounder in the ODI format, Shakib Al Hasan excelled in the captaincy department as well in this BAN vs AFG game. In a pitch that had decent amount of grass and where everyone thought, the pacers, would play a big role, didn’t offer much to the pacers.
He analysed it early on in the match and brought himself in to bowl in the 8th over in the game. Shakib also made sure that Hasan bowls frequently and that resulted in Bangladesh applying brakes on Afghanistan’s batting.
3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s innings at the top
Opening for Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the sole performer for Afghanistan. He mustered 47 runs and perished away before notching up a well-deserved half-century. Gurbaz’s innings was peppered with 4 fours and 1 six.
Going into the tournament, Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s partnership at the top will be very important for Afghanistan.
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