Bangladesh are focusing on Rashid Khan’s reputation and not playing his deliveries on merit, in the opinion of spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, after Rashid Khan decimated Bangladesh’s middle order with 5 for 17 in the second ODI on Saturday to give Afghanistan an 81-run win and with that the series.
Mushtaq Ahmed , the former Pakistan legspinner who is now working with the Bangladesh team, said that Rashid Khan’s tight line and lengths got him the rewards but it was also the batters that couldn’t separate the ball from the bowler.
It was Rashid Khan”s sixth five-wicket haul in ODIs, with only Shahid Afridi now with more five-fors among legspinners in the format. Rashid got into the act when he clean-bowled Towhid Hridoy in the 17th over, before running through the batting with four of the last five wickets in a short burst. Bangladesh were shot out for 109 in response to Afghanistan’s 190.
Rashid Khan , Ibrahim Zadran lead Afghanistan to series win vs Bangladesh
Ibrahim Zadran’s 95 on a turning track and Rashid Khan’s five-wicket haul powered Afghanistan to an 81-run win over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Abu Dhabi, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Opting to bat, Afghanistan’s innings was built around Zadran’s patient 140-ball knock of 95, which included only 3 fours and a six. His opening partner, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, fell to a miscued pull while Sediqullah Atal chipped to long-on. Zadran added stability through the middle, surviving testing spells from Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3 for 42) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (2 for 35), while Rahmat Shah retired hurt for 9 with a calf issue.
Mohammad Nabi’s 22 off 30 and a late cameo from Allah Ghazanfar (22 off 18) added some spark but Afghanistan were bowled out for 190 in 44.5 overs on a very slow surface.
The chase for Bangladesh, though, unravelled early. Azmatullah Omarzai struck in a wicket-maiden opening over to remove Tanzid Hasan for a duck before Najmul Hossain Shanto was run out coming back for a risky second. Saif Hassan counter-punched with four and six in an over before top-edging Azmatullah to third man for 22. The seamer returned to trap Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan lbw for 4, leaving the reply at 50 for 4 and exposing the middle order.
Rashid Khan then took charge. He bowled Towhid Hridoy for 24, out-foxed Nurul Hasan with a fuller googly, pinned Tanzim Hasan lbw next ball and later trapped Tanvir Islam in front before finishing the job by stumping Rishad Hossain for his fifth. Jaker Ali’s 18 and Nurul’s 15 were the only periods of resistance as Bangladesh were dismissed for 109 in 28.3 overs.
Bangladesh’s batting unit was underwhelming in both the ODIs of the three-match series against Afghanistan which urged their spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed to advice them to concentrate on the ball rather than the bowler of the stature of Rashid Khan.
We have to improve quickly- Mushtaq Ahmed on playing against Rashid Khan
Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has provided a reminder to his batters to emphasise on playing the ball on its merit and not on the reputation of the bowler. Bangladesh’s batting unit has been underwhelming in both the ODIs of the three-match series against Afghanistan so far.
Bangladesh batters have been poor in the middle overs this year, where they have averaged 21.86, compared to 35.10 in the two previous calendar years. The 21.86 is also their lowest average in the middle overs since 2007. Mushtaq Ahmed’s comments came after Bangladesh were spun around by Rashid Khan in both ODIs, with the wily spinner returning with figures of 3/38 in 10 overs in the first ODI and 5/17 in 8.3 overs in the second. Mushtaq Ahmed was critical of the batting department.
“I think they are playing Rashid, not the ball. He is not a big spinner of the ball. But he is very experienced. He is a wicket-taker. His line and length is very consistent. I think we have to sometimes play the ball, not the bowler. We have to improve quickly,” Mushtaq Ahmed was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Mushtaq Ahmed suggested that the most effective solution for playing match-winners like Rashid is to be dynamic and not let him settle into a rhythm.
“Rashid has been very successful for many, many years for Afghanistan, but [at the] same time, as a Bangladeshi batting unit, we should know how to play the ball, not the bowler. Obviously, against spinners like Rashid and all, [who are] very mature and experienced cricketers in those conditions, we have to be very proactive to playing those kind of spinners very quickly,” he added.
Bangladesh headed into the ODI leg of the tour with a 3-0 win in the T20I series. However, the two ODIs so far have been quite disappointing, especially from the batting front. The Tigers lost the first ODI by five wickets and went down in the subsequent one by 81 runs. The final match of the white-ball series will be played in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, October 14. The Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led unit will look to conclude on a high before their limited-overs series against West Indies at home.
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