Bangladesh nearly threw away a game that looked wrapped up, but late hitting from Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain pulled them over the line in the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday night.

Set 152 to win, Bangladesh were cruising at 109 without loss.

Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan made it look easy, both reaching brisk half-centuries. Emon struck 54 off 37 balls, Tanzid 51 from the same number, and the pair had Afghanistan on the ropes inside 12 overs.

Then came the collapse. Rashid Khan, as he has done so many times, flipped the contest with four wickets in the space of a few overs.

Bangladesh lost six for just nine runs, slumping from 109 for none to 118 for six. Suddenly the Sharjah crowd came alive and the chase, once straightforward, looked shaky.

But Afghanistan’s seamers could not finish the job. Nurul stepped up, smashing two sixes in the 18th over to ease the tension. He finished unbeaten on 23 from 13 balls, while Rishad chipped in with 14 not out. The pair saw Bangladesh home with eight balls to spare, at 153 for six.

Earlier, Afghanistan had stuttered their way to 151 for nine. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 40 gave them a quick start, and Mohammad Nabi added a lively 38, but regular wickets stalled their innings.

Tanzim Sakib and Rishad picked up two each, while Mustafizur Rahman and Nasum Ahmed bowled with control.

Rashid admitted afterwards that his team had let things slip.

“In T20 once you lose momentum it’s hard to get it back,” he said. “We gave away wickets too easily. And with the ball we didn’t hit the stumps enough in the first 10 overs.”

Bangladesh skipper Jaker Ali was relieved more than anything.

“The start was excellent, but the collapse is a concern. Cricket’s a funny game — these things happen. Credit to Nurul and Rishad for finishing it off,” he told the broadcasters.

Player of the Match Emon said the plan was simple

“I just wanted to play my natural game and put pressure on them early. We got the start we wanted, even if we had a scare later,” Emon said.

The second T20 will be played on Saturday, again in Sharjah.