ABU DHABI: Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes knocked half centuries to lift Bangladesh to a fighting 249-7 in their must-win Super Four Stage match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Mahmudullah scored an 81-ball 74 with two sixes and three boundaries while the left-handed Imrul — recalled as a back-up to strengthen the batting — made 89 ball 72 not out to help Bangladesh recover from a precarious 87-5 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Opener Liton Das scored 41 and Mushfiqur Rahim made 33 but Bangladesh — who won the toss and batted — owed their total to a solid 128-run stand for the sixth wicket between Mahmudullah and Imrul.

Imrul gave good support to Mahmudullah as the two built the innings after Bangladesh’s star batsman Shakib Al Hasan was run out for nought.

Imrul hit six boundaries as Bangladesh played the dangerous spinning duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman who managed a wicket each.

Both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lost their opening Super Four match, need a win to stay in the hunt for Friday final in Dubai.

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH:

Liton Das c Ihsanullah b Rashid 41
Nazmul Hossain c Rahmat b Aftab 6
Mohammad Mithun lbw b Mujeeb 1
Mushfiqur Rahim run out 33
Shakib Al Hasan run out 0
Imrul Kayes not out 72
Mohammadullah c Rashid b Aftab 74
Mashrafe Mortaza c Shahzad b Aftab 10
Mehedi Hasan not out 5

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-4) 7

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 249

FALL OF WKTS: 1-16, 2-18, 3-81, 4-81, 5-87, 6-215, 7-236.

DID NOT BAT: Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam.

BOWLING: Aftab Alam 10-0-54-3; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 10-0-35-1 (1w); Gulbadin Naib 9-0-58-0 (1w); Mohammad Nabi 10-0-44-0 (2w); Rashid Khan 10-0-46-1; Samiullah Shenwari 1-0-9-0.

AFGHANISTAN: Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam.

UMPIRES: M. Erasmus (South Africa) and N.N. Menon (India).

TV UMPIRE: S. George (South Africa).

MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2018