Bangladesh v Afghanistan, 3rd ODI - 5 Talking Points

The series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan was poised at 1-1 and the decider was played at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka. The Afghans had done a fairly good job in the series thus far having come pretty close to victory in the first and securing it in the second. But, it was no fairy-tale affair for the Afghans as Bangladesh convincingly beat them by 141 runs in the 3rd ODI to also grab the series. Here we take a look at the 5 talking points of the match:

1. Tamim’s brilliant century:

Tamim Iqbal has been Bangladesh’s best batsman for a very long time. He has racked up runs even when Bangladesh was not a formidable side. And, his gung-ho approach, similar to that of Virender Sehwag, is what makes him stand ahead of the rest. Today was no different as he strolled out in the park and compiled a well-deserved century (118 runs off 118 balls) and consequently won the MoM and the MoS awards.

2. Mahmadullah’s growing stature as a finisher:

Mahmadullah was etched in the Bangladesh’s cricketing folklore when he scored two consecutive centuries in the 2015 World Cup and took his team to the knockout stage of the tournament for the very first time. That was in March 2015 and his reputation has only increased ever since. Today, he is one of the most vital cogs in the wheel as he is the one who could rack up quick runs or hold one end of the wicket as well. In this game, he was the one who got them the quick runs towards the end, as he finished the first innings with a fine cameo of 32 runs off 22 balls.

3. The Afghan collapse:

Despite the fact that Afghanistan played brilliantly throughout the series, they came up short when it mattered the most. And, the loss they suffered was largely due to erratic shot selection which led to a collapse from which they never recovered. 3 wickets in the span of 18 balls and the Afghans were never in the game after that.

4. Afghanistan’s promise as a cricketing nation:

Before the commencement of the tour, nobody would have fancied the chances of Afghanistan since Bangladesh beat the best teams playing at home. But, they will depart with their reputation enhanced manifolds as they proclaimed themselves to the world by thumping Bangladesh in the second ODI and giving the hosts a run for their money throughout the series.

5. Yet another series victory for Bangladesh at home:

Bangladesh has been an absolute juggernaut at their home in ODIs. This was yet another feather in their cap as they clinched another ODI series, their 5th in a row since 2015. And this list includes Pakistan, India and South Africa apart from Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, the latest entry. So for all those nations who are going to tour Bangladesh in the coming future: ‘Be Scared, Be Very Scared.’