Bangladesh get Afghan revenge, Nepal crush Hong Kong

Published March 16, 2014
Bangladesh bowler Abdur Razzak (L) celebrates with teammate Shakib Al Hasan after taking the wicket of Afghanistan batsman Samiullah Shenwari during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament cricket match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. -AFP Photo
Bangladesh bowler Abdur Razzak (L) celebrates with teammate Shakib Al Hasan after taking the wicket of Afghanistan batsman Samiullah Shenwari during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament cricket match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh at The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. -AFP Photo

Hosts Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets to exact sweet revenge in the World Twenty20 opener at Mirpur, while Nepal bulldozed Hong Kong by 80 runs in another one-sided group A match in Chittagong on Sunday.

Barely two weeks after being stunned by the same opponents in the Asia Cup, Bangladesh skittled Afghanistan for 72 runs in 17.1 overs and cruised to victory with eight overs to spare for the loss of one wicket.

It was an ominous sign for Afghanistan when they lost Mohammad Shahzad to the first ball of the tournament after being asked to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Shakib Al Hasan was denied a hat-trick but claimed three wickets for eight runs with his smart left-arm spin as only Gulbadin Naib (21) and two other Afghan batsmen reached double figures.

Bangladesh got off to a flying start before losing Tamim Iqbal (21) in the eighth over.

Fellow opener Anamul Haque (44 not out) played aggressively and brought up the winning runs with his third six to boost Bangladesh's chances of reaching the Super 10 stage.

In the battle between tournament debutants at Chittagong, Gyanendra Malla (48) and captain Paras Khadka (41) missed half-centuries but powered Nepal to 149-8 after being put into bat.

In reply, Hong Kong reached 58-3 at the halfway stage before a spectacular collapse saw them dismissed for 69 in 17 overs.

For Nepal, the left-arm spin duo of Shakti Gauchan (3-9) and Basant Regmi (3-14) shared six wickets as slow bowlers dominated the opening day of the tournament.

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...