Bangladesh ‘A’ have taken a huge step towards the semifinals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 tournament, following a comprehensive win over Afghanistan ‘A’ in Doha. Building on their opening match success against Hong Kong, the young Bangladesh side displayed both discipline and attacking intent.
Afghanistan, invited to bat after losing the toss, struggled against a relentless Bangladeshi bowling attack. Ripon Mondal and Rakibul Hasan shared six wickets between them, restricting Afghanistan to just 78 all out in 18.4 overs. SM Meherab also contributed with two vital wickets, leaving the visitors reeling.
Bangladesh’s chase was clinical. The target was reached in 13.3 overs for the loss of just two wickets, leaving 39 balls to spare. This performance mirrored their opening match, where they chased 168 runs against Hong Kong with ease, powered by Habibur Rahman’s blistering 35-ball century and Akbar Ali’s unbeaten 41 off 13 balls.
With this victory, Bangladesh top Group ‘A’ with four points from two matches. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have two points each. Even if all teams finish with equal points, Bangladesh’s superior net run rate of +4.079 compared to Sri Lanka’s +1.341 and Afghanistan’s +0.122 gives them a distinct edge heading into the semifinals.
The Bangladeshi team’s balanced combination of sharp bowlers and aggressive batsmen has been key to their early dominance. If they continue in this vein, the young team could well become serious contenders for the title, while providing invaluable experience to the country’s next generation of cricketing stars.