The Tigers had already lost the first match of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Because of this, a loss in the second match leads to a loss in the series. Tigers played the second match of the series yesterday in Chattogram and lost by a huge margin of 142 runs in the second BAN vs AFG ODI match in 2023.

Afghanistan’s Batting Performance

Litton Das won the toss and invited Afghanistan to bat first. The two openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Ibrahim Zadran, started bashing Bangladeshi bowlers right from the beginning of the innings. They scored 256 runs off 221 balls. While making this record, the Rahmanullah-Ibrahim pair surpassed Javed Ahmadi and Karim Sadiq. Javed and Karim set a record of 142 in the opening partnership against the Netherlands in Sharjah, UAE, in 2012. The 256 runs partnership is Afghanistan’s highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs.

Shakib Al Hasan stopped Gurbaz through LBW. Prior to that, he achieved his fourth century in his 20th ODI match. Rahmanullah displayed an outstanding performance, accumulating a career-best of 145 runs from 125 deliveries, comprising 13 boundaries and 8 sixes, before departing from the field. However, following Rahmanullah's dismissal, Afghanistan's batting order experienced a significant collapse. Despite a strong start of scoring 256 runs without losing a single wicket, Afghanistan faced a dramatic downfall, losing 9 wickets for just 75 runs. Starting at number three, Rahmat Shah could only manage to contribute 2 runs from 5 deliveries before departing.

Read more: Afghanistan thrash Bangladesh to wrap up maiden ODI series win

Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was bowled by Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 2 runs in 7 balls. Najibullah Zadran was Miraz’s second victim for 10 runs off 15 balls.

However, Ibrahim Zadran was batting responsibly from the beginning. Cutter Master Mustafizur Rahman sent him back to the pavilion after picking up the century. Ibrahim scored 100 runs with the help of 9 fours and a six off 119 balls.

After that, Afghan star leg spinner Rashid Khan, pacer Azmatullah Omarzai, off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi returned after scoring 6, 2, 5 and 1 runs respectively. Afghanistan scored 331 runs for 9 wickets.

Read more: Explosive centuries by openers power Afghanistan to 331 vs Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s Bowling Performance

The BAN vs AFG 2nd ODI was a nightmare for Bangladeshi bowlers. But, in the end, the bowlers stopped Afghanistan from scoring 350 runs. Mustafiz, Hasan Mahmud, Shakib, and Miraz took two wickets each for Bangladesh. And Ebadot Hossain took the remaining one.

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Bangladesh’s Batting Performance

Bangladesh was under pressure from the beginning. Opener Mohammad Naim took a single in the first over, and Fazalhaq Farooqi got a maiden over. Naim scored 9 runs off 21 balls and was bowled by Farooqi. Before that, Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto got out. Bangladesh lost the wickets of skipper Litton Das, Naim, and Najmul Hossain Shanto for just 25 runs in 8.1 overs. Litton scored 15 of 13 balls, and Shanto scored 1 run from 5 balls.

Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy tried to catch up with such a batting disaster of the team. But none could extend their innings. They contributed 40 runs off 50 balls. Following that, Bangladesh once again encountered a batting disaster. After scoring 65 runs for 4 wickets, Bangladesh lost 3 wickets by just 7 runs. In 16.3 overs, Towhid Hridoy returned when the team’s score was 65 runs. He scored just 16 runs off 34 balls with two boundaries. Shakib got out after scoring 25 runs off 29 balls. Returned after two series, Afif Hossain failed in the second match as well. He scored zero runs.

Then Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim’s 87-run partnership in the seventh wicket only reduced the margin of defeat. This pair broke when Miraz gave a catch to Mujeeb’s ball for 25 runs off 48 balls. Mushfiqur scored 69 off 85 balls before being dismissed as the ninth batsman by Farooqi. Bangladesh got all out for 189 runs in 43.2 overs.

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Afghanistan’s Bowling Performance

The speed of Fazalhaq Farooqui and the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman sent Bangladesh out of the series. Both of these bowlers took three wickets each. Rashid Khan grabbed two wickets, while Mohammad Nabi got one.

Final Words

Bangladesh lost the series one match earlier due to poor bowling and careless batting. Having suffered defeats in the initial two ODIs of the three-match series, the Bangladesh cricket team now faces the risk of whitewash. The last match of the 2023 BAN vs AFG ODI series will take place on Tuesday, July 11, at the same venue in Chattogram. The team led by Litton Das will be whitewashed if they fail to avoid defeat in that match.

Read more: Litton Das replaces Tamim as Bangladesh's ODI captain