Match Wrap: Match 10 Bangladesh v Afghanistan

Match Wrap: Match 10 Bangladesh v Afghanistan

'The Fizz' holds nerve to seal crucial win

Bangladesh eliminate Afghanistan in thriller

• Mustafizur Rahman defends 8 runs off the final over to give Bangladesh a 3-run win

• Afghanistan were on cusp of a win but lost track of chase in the final 2 overs

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BIG PICTURE

Bangladesh and Afghanistan played out the most enthralling game of the Asia Cup which ebbed and flowed right till the last ball of the game. In the end, it was Mustafizur Rahim who succeeded in defending 8 runs off the final over and with it, kept Bangladesh in the hunt for a place in the finals. Chasing 250 to stay afloat in the competition, Afghanistan stuck to their game plan of laying a solid foundation and exploding towards the end. And so they did, getting the equation down to 12 off 10 before letting the game out of their grasp.

After choosing to bat first, Bangladesh resurrected their innings from 87 for 5 thanks to a 128-run stand between Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes. Both soaked in the pressure nicely and helped Bangladesh put a competitive score on the board. [scorecard]

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PLAY OF THE DAY

LAST BALL HIJINKS

There was incredible pressure on Mustafizur Rahman as he bowled the last over, having given up 23 runs in his last two and almost handing Afghanistan a win. But with 4 needed off the last ball The Fizz held his nerve produced a superb delivery that Samiullah Shinwari had no real clue about.

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WINNING HAND

Mahmudullah walked in to bat when Bangladesh were in disarray at 87 for 5. Instead of hitting the panic button, he immediately started pinching the ones and the twos. The odd boundary came along and took the pressure off Imrul, who was struggling initially. He shifted gears in the latter part of the innings before holing out for a classy 81-ball 74 which included 3 fours and 2 sixes. With the ball, he broke a threatening stand when he clattered the stumps of Mohammad Shahzad.

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MATCH-O-METER

Cricket Gateway's MatchOMeter tracks the momentum of the game through the teams' win probabilities. Afghanistan had been dominant over Bangladesh the first time around but the Tigers turned it around this time.

Bangaldesh recovered from a tough position early on and kept going from strength to strength prevailing despite a see saw finish.

[Note - the probabilities are calculated based on chances of a win for each team calculated as per the match situation]