Afghanistan crashed to a narrow 8-run loss against Bangladesh in a crucial Group B clash in Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh kept their hopes alive with this win while Afghanistan has fallen on a slippery slope now. It was the first real nail biter that we had in Asia Cup 2025. While there was little to choose between the two teams, Afghanistan’s glaring loopholes were exposed. Here, we will try and list out three reasons for their loss to Bangladesh.
Twin failures of Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran hurts Afghanistan
Afghanistan are a top heavy side and we know that for sure. It was important that their top order fired in this tricky run chase as their middle order is brittle on paper. But in the chase of 155, both their two mainstays failed to deliver. Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran were in stellar form in the Tri-Series but in the Asia Cup they have failed to replicate that form.
While Atal made an unbeaten half-century against Hong Kong, Ibrahim has not yet hit the ground running and has failed in both the games. While Atal fell for a golden duck on the first ball of the innings to Nasum Ahmed, Ibrahim fell for 5 off 12 balls. Both these players departed inside the powerplay and put undue pressure on an already weak looking middle order. Gurbaz finally got runs which was a relief for Afghanistan but the two reliable players failing really hurt the Afghans.
Looking ahead to their must-win clash against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will hope that both these players fire and roar back into form as Afghanistan needs runs from the duo to compete against good sides. Bowling might have all bases covered, but the batting has loopholes and to address that, the top order has to bat most of the overs and lay the platform. They have the team to bounce back, but it’s not going to be easy against Sri Lanka for sure.
Conceding 59 runs in the powerplay without taking a wicket pegged Afghanistan back
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first. They got off to a quiet start but then put the pedal on the accelerator. The new opening combination of Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan were brilliant to start off and dominated the powerplay. They took on some average deliveries from Afghanistan and sent them into the stands for the maximum. Tanzid went onto make a fifty while Saif made 30 as Bangladesh had the better of the powerplays.
Scoring 59 runs in 6 overs and not losing a wicket was an ideal start for Bangladesh. They had the platform to score a bigger total. Yes, Afghanistan came back with the ball towards the end, but the score crossed 150 and that was a good score for Afghanistan as they have till now not chased more than 150 against the Asia Cup giants. They needed to have better control of lines and lengths in the powerplay which they didn’t and paid the price.
Looking ahead to the next game against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan needs to be more incisive with the ball and strike with it to have a chance in the game as Sri Lanka bats deep in their batting and have explosive batters in their ranks. Fazalhaq Farooqi had an off-day which can happen, but the spinners like Rashid and Noor had a field day. The other bowlers were decent, but they started badly in the powerplay which came back to haunt them towards the end.
Losing 4/29 in 8 overs of Nasum Ahmed & Rishad Hossain turns out to be a game changer in this match
Another key aspect that Afghanistan lost out was in the chase, they are not confident chasing any score of above 150. The pitch was slower than the other day and Bangladesh took full advantage of it by playing the extra spinner and dropped Mahedi Hasan as well. Nasum Ahmed back in the side delivered a match defining spell of 2/11 in 4 overs. Rishad Hossain bowled well in the middle overs and finished his spell with 2/18 in 4 overs. Together, they conceded 29 runs in 8 overs and picked up 4 wickets which is sensational for Bangladesh.
Afghanistan had no clue how to play quality spin bowling and were badly exposed which was a tad surprising considering the familiarity of the conditions. None of the batters could pick them as Nasum got rid of Atal the first ball of the innings to set the tone for the side. Afghanistan looked clueless playing these quality spinners as not only they were taking wickets but stifling the flow of runs a lot. This meant they had to target other bowlers and lost wickets to them as the Fizz got three wickets to his name.
Looking ahead to the next game against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan needs to be more proactive in their play and take on the spinners. They mustn’t go into their shell that’s per sure. Sri Lanka have quality spinners too and so, Afghanistan has to up their game to challenge Sri Lanka. The batting does not inspire confidence at the moment and they will find the going tough against the Lankans. Afghanistan has to improve and play out of their skins to win on Thursday night.
What Lies Ahead
So, the bandwagon moves back to Dubai from Abu Dhabi for Match 10 of Asia Cup 2025 as we will see Pakistan face-off with UAE in a Group A do-or-die clash for both teams. The winner goes to the Super 4s, and the loser goes home. Which team will come out on top later in the day remains to be seen. Can UAE pull off a huge surprise? Or will Pakistan show their class and pedigree and win the contest in Dubai and secure a spot in the Super 4s.
We shall find out later tonight when the match starts at 8 PM IST on 17th September 2025 as to which teams comes out on top in this clash. Hoping for a good game of cricket.
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