Mohammad Isam, in ESPNcricinfo, 3 June 2018, with title as “Shenwari and spinners topple Bangladesh”
Afghanistan 167 for 8 (Shahzad 40, Shenwari 36, Mahmudullah 2-1) beat Bangladesh 122 (Liton 30, Mahmudullah 29, Rashid 3-13, Zadran 3-40) by 45 runs
Afghanistan began their historic tour of India with a dominant performance against Bangladesh, crushing them by 45 runs in the first T20 in Dehradun. The clinical display went along expected lines as their big-hitters Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari and Shafiqullah got them to competitive 167 for 8 in 20 overs. That set it up for the usual suspects – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – to do their thing and dismantle Bangladesh, as they were bowled out for 122 in 19 overs.
Having broken the back of the chase, Rashid snaffled an excellent catch – diving to his left and grabbing Abu Jayed’s slap overhead with both hands – giving Afghanistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. It was a complete performance from Afghanistan, characterised by a clinical bowling performance that didn’t give Bangladesh any chance of chasing down the total. Continue reading