Afghanistan cricket team spinner Allah Ghazanfar scripted history with a brilliant six-wicket haul to guide his side to a convincing 92-run victory over Bangladesh in the first ODI encounter in Sharjah on Wednesday. Allah Ghazanfar the 18-year-old finished with figures of 6 for 26 in 6.3 overs as Bangladesh went from 132/3 to 143 all out while chasing a target of 236 runs. These were the best bowling figures in an Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI match, bettering Shakib Al Hasan’s 5-29 at Southampton in 2019.
Allah Ghazanfar started his cricketing journey as a fast bowler before former Afghanistan skipper Dawlat Ahmadzai turned him into a mystery spinner. He grabbed headlines with his brilliant showing during the 2024 U-19 World Cup where he finished with eight wickets in four matches.
That was enough to earn him a senior team call-up as he made his ODI debut against Ireland. He continued to impress and even won the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A as Afghanistan went on to clinch the title. The young spinner was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that went on to win the IPL 2024 title. He was added to the squad as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman but did not play any matches for the franchise in the campaign.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : Sharjah offers a good batting surface but the spinners usually dominate in the middle overs. Batting first will be the ideal choice for the captain who wins the toss. Any score above 250 can be considered a good total on the board, considering the pitch slows down as the game progresses.
The pitch at the Sharjah cricket stadium is expected to be on the slower side and the batters will might struggle to play their shots. The spinners might play a big role in deciding the fate of the game.
The 1st ODI of the series will be played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, on November 6th from 3.30 pm onwards. The venue has a capacity of 16,000 spectators and has hosted 9 Tests, more than 100 ODIs & 59 T20Is.
In the last 10 ODIs, the results have identically favored the teams chasing or defending the target on 5 occasions. The average first innings score is 238. The team winning the toss should bat first.
The weather during the game is expected to be warm and the skies will remain clear. As reported by AccuWeather the temperature will be around 26°C with little to no chance of rain.
The weather will be sunny. The temperature will range between 24 and 33. The wind will be flowing from the west at 10-15 kmh. The stadium has been known for its batting-friendly pitches. Batsmen often enjoy good pace and bounce, making it conducive for stroke play. The ball tends to come onto the bat nicely, allowing for aggressive shots and high-scoring matches.
As the game progresses and the pitch begins to wear, spinners can come into play. Mumbai’s hot and humid conditions can cause the pitch to deteriorate, leading to assistance for spinners, particularly in the latter stages.
Toss : Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat with Sediq Ullah Atal making his debut in the playing XI. Najmul Hossain Shanto the Bangladesh skipper bowling first opted to go with 3 seamers on the Sharjah wicket.
Mohammad Nabi and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi carries Afghanistan to 235 after Mustafizur Rehman and Taskin Ahmed’s 4 fers
Long before the batters fluffed their lines, Bangladesh found themselves in a better position at the halfway stage thanks to their bowlers. Taskin Ahmed (4 for 53) and Mustafizur Rahman (4 for 58) ran through the top-order and had Afghanistan struggling at 71 for 5 in 20 overs. Captain Shahidi and Nabi spent the next 20 overs in repair work, as they put on 104 for the sixth wicket before Mustafizur cleaned up the former. Shahidi walked off for 52 (92), but Nabi tried to push on in the company of the lower-order.
It wasn’t much, but he did enough to drag the team past the 200-run mark before becoming Taskin’s third scalp, for an excellent 84 off 79 balls, that included four fours and three sixes. Nangeyalia Kharote’s unbeaten 27 added valuable runs towards the end that allowed Afghanistan to push till 235, which proved to be more than sufficient to take a comfortable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier in the day, Mohammad Nabi (84 off 79) and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi top scored for Afghanistan to help them get to 235 in 49.4 overs. Taskin Ahmed (4/53) and Mustafizur Rahman (4/58) picked four wickets each for Bangladesh.
Afghanistan’s victory was set up by two contrasting knocks after they were 71 for 5 in 20 overs. While Shahidi played second fiddle in an innings of 52 from 92 balls, Nabi cracked 84 off 79 deliveries. Their partnership of 104 gave Afghanistan a platform to build on, after Mustafizur Rahman had struck three times and Taskin twice.
While Shahidi was happy to be patient and accumulate singles, Nabi started with a lot more purpose. He dispatched his sixth ball, off Rishad, for a massive six over deep midwicket – a shot he repeated off the same bowler with the same result in the 27th over. In between, Bangladesh lost a review when Rishad and Mushfiqur thought Shahidi had edged behind, only for replays to show a big gap between bat and ball.
The fifty stand between Shahidi and Nabi came up in the 30th over. Then Nabi enjoyed a spate of of luck. First, when on 37 in the 34th over, he went sweeping at Rishad but was struck on his front pad, with neither the umpire giving it out nor Bangladesh opting to review, when DRS would have sent Nabi back.
In the 37th, shortly after bringing up his fifty, Nabi slogged Rishad but mistimed, the ball landing just short of the man at long-off who was running forward. In the next over, Nabi went jabbing at a ball from Mahmudullah and got an outside edge that streaked away through the vacant slip region.
Shahidi, meanwhile, took 87 deliveries to get to fifty, remaining content to push for singles and twos. He survived a tight run-out chance at the start of the 40th over, when he pushed the ball to point and the two batters took off for a run. But Shahidi, who was halfway down, was sent back by Nabi, and barely made it before Mushfiqur whipped the bails off.
However, he chopped on off Mustafizur in the 41st, and Rashid swatted one to midwicket off Shoriful, soon after. But Nabi was unmoved. He took Afghanistan to 200 with four overs remaining, and heaved Mustafizur for six over midwicket in the 47th over. Nangeyalia Kharote, who arrived after Rashid’s dismissal, contributed an unbeaten 27, with two fours and a six in the death overs, even as Taskin struck off back-to-back balls in the 48th. Taskin and Mustafizur finished with four wickets each, as Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to 235.
Allah Ghazanfar’s 6 -fer spins Afghanistan to victory as Bangladesh experienced tragic fall out from 120 for 2 to 143 all out
Bangladesh’s preparation for next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan got off to a rocky start as they suffered a batting implosion. Afghanistan’s 18-year-old offspinner Allah Ghazanfar picked six wickets, with Bangladesh going from 120 for 2 to 143 all-out in the space of 8.4 frenetic overs.
Though Allah Ghazanfar made an early incision with the wicket of opener Tanzid Hasan in the fourth over, Soumya Sarkar and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto quickly pushed ahead and put Bangladesh ahead of the asking rate. Medium-pacer Azmatullah Omarzai broke that 53-run partnership with the wicket of Sarkar, but Bangladesh responded with another innings-progressing stand, between Najmul and No.4 batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
The duo carried the chase past the half-way mark and even reduced the asking rate along the way, until the tide-turning 26th over from Mohammad Nabi. The veteran made a smart field change by putting his deep square leg fielder to second slip, and luring Najmul to sweep against the turn.
The left-hander fell for it and top-edged his attempt, with Shahidi catching it at short fine leg, not before juggling it a few times. Afghanistan used this small opening to carve open Bangladesh’s line-up. Ghazanfar returned to the attack in the 31st over to wreak havoc, starting off with Mehidy’s wicket.
Bangladesh began to sink in his next, a triple-wicket over where he had Mushfiqur Rahim stumped off a carrom ball, trapped Rishad Hossain leg before and cleaned up Taskin with another carrom ball to complete his five-fer, and leave Bangladesh eight down for 138.
In between these two overs, Rashid Khan added to Bangladesh’s misery with a well-disguised googly that cleaned up Mahmudullah. Towhid Hridoy got a Rashid googly too, which he missed while attempting an expansive slog sweep. In the very next over – the 35th – Allah Ghazanfar picked his sixth wicket – with yet another carrom ball that befuddled Shoriful Islam to give Afghanistan an incredible 92-run victory.
The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side was cruising at one stage as they were 120/2 after chasing a modest target of 235 runs. However, 18-year-old Allah Ghazanfar spoiled Bangladesh’s hope with his spin wizardry leaving batters dumbfounded by his subtle variations. The 18-year -old Allah Ghazanfar started with the new ball alongside seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and got the first wicket in his very second over by cleaning up Tanzid Hasan (3 off 5).
He finished his first spell with figures of 1/21 in 4 overs and later returned in the 31st over with his captain desperate to turn things around as Bangladesh needed 105 runs from 20 overs having 7 wickets in hand. He started the proceedings by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz (28 off 51) caught at fine leg and further got Mushfiqur Rahim stumped in his very next over.
The off spinner further got Rishad Hossain lbw in the same over and shattered the stumps of Taskin Ahmed to scalp three wickets in a single over. At the other end, Rashid Khan (2/28, 8 overs) breached the defence of Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah while Allah Ghazanfar cleaned up Shoriful Islam to bundle out Bangladesh for just 143.
Bangladesh lost their last seven wickets for 11 runs and within 27 balls and hence were completely outfoxed by Afghanistan’s spinners. As a result, Afghanistan won the match by a huge margin of 92 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series. Allah Ghazanfar was deservedly adjudged Player of the Match for his marvelous spell of 6/26 in 6.3 overs.
Substitute wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil had dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto on 21, Mohammad Nabi had put Mehidy Hasan Miraz down on 1, Gulbadin Naib had seen the ball slip through his hands with Mehidy on 4, and Afghanistan had burned both their reviews. At the halfway mark of their chase, Bangladesh were 118 away from their target of 236 and had eight wickets in hand.
What followed was chaos, as Allah Ghazanfar sent back one Bangladesh batter after another. From 120 for 2 in the 26th over, Bangladesh lost 8 for 23 to get bowled out inside the 35th over and lost by 92 runs. Allah Ghazanfar finished with a career-best 6 for 26, while Rashid Khan bagged two wickets, as Afghanistan’s spinners ran through Bangladesh.
It was Mohammad Nabi, though, who started the slide. In a field change that turned out to be a moment of brilliance, he kept square leg vacant and added a second slip for Shanto. Bangladesh’s captain was tempted immediately, and went sweeping at a length ball slightly wide of off stump. He reached out to paddle sweep, and the top edge popped up for Hashmatullah Shahidi to catch on the fourth attempt at short fine leg.
That broke a 55-run stand between Shanto, who made 47, and Mehidy. The wicket slowed Bangladesh down, and five overs later, in the 31st, Mehidy fell to a terrific catch from Azmatullah Omarzai, again at short fine leg, running across to his left before diving to complete the take. That was Ghazanfar’s second wicket – he had earlier bowled Tanzid Hasan in the fourth over – and that almost flicked a switch in him.
Come the 33rd over, he had Mushfiqur Rahim stumped, Rishad Hossain lbw, and Taskin Ahmed bowled – all off carrom balls. In the over before that, Rashid’s googly had cleaned Mahmudullah up. By this stage, the only matter of interest was if Allah Ghazanfar would complete his hat-trick after having got Rishad and Tasking off successive deliveries to end the over.
Bangladesh had two wickets standing, and Rashid cleaned Towhid Hridoy up with another googly. Allah Ghazanfar couldn’t get the hat-trick at the start of the 35th over, but two balls later had Shoriful Islam bowled to wrap up a dramatic win
Presentations and Road Ahead
Hashmatullah Shahidi, the winning Afghanistan captain said: Quite happy about the performance. It was good and looking forward to the next two games. (On if he thought the score was enough) Honestly, yes. I was believing. He (Nabi) was really positive.
Our discussion was that if we scored 220, it would be a good enough score. 236 was a good target here and the bowlers then did their job (smiles). The way the spinners bowled was brilliant. (On Ghazanfar) He is a special talent. Good kid, good future for Afghanistan.
I trust him and that is why he is in the team and playing. First few overs also he bowled well. After the no ball, I asked him what he was doing and asked him to not do it again (laughs). (On Gurbaz and Afghanistan’s depth) I am very happy. We have a lot of youngsters. We have other options available as back-ups. It is unfortunate that Ibrahim is not with us – he is our best player as an opener. Gurbaz was also injured (today) and hopefully he recovers (for the next game).
Najmul Hossain Shanto the losing skipper said : (On the bowling) We started very well. For 15-20 overs, we bowled really well. In the middle, we could not execute. Nabi batted brilliantly. I didn’t think we needed to attack more (with the ball). The wicket had low bounce (and we had to stick to our plans).
My wicket made the difference in today’s game. I was the set batter and after that Miraz, even Soumya, we scored 30-40s. In these conditions, you have to bat longer. Afghanistan always have mystery spinners, everyone bowled really well and he (Ghazanfar) bowled really well. The preparation was brilliant but today was not our day, hopefully we can come back strongly in the next game.
Allah Ghazanfar is the Player of the Match for his career-best figures. He spoke in Pashto in the presentation ceremony.
That was a crazy 40-odd minutes or so. Bangladesh have capitulated terribly. They were cruising at 120/2 around the halfway mark but lost their last 8 wickets for just 23 runs. Allah Ghazanfar was the chief destroyer but the other spinners played their parts. Nabi started it all by breaking the partnership between Shanto and Mehidy. The Bangladesh skipper had added two 50+ stands for the second and third wicket, but his departure to Nabi started the procession.
Allah Ghazanfar came back for his second spell and ended up picking his maiden 5-fer in ODIs. Bangladesh’s batters had no clue which way the ball was turning; some lost their wickets trying to defend against him while others fell trying to attack. Rashid also played his part by picking up two crucial scalps and together the duo finished with 8 wickets. Afghanistan weren’t great in the field as they dropped plenty of catches but once their spinners got on a roll the fielding too picked up.
Well, that ended rather swiftly. Bangladesh seemed in control, especially when Mehidy and Shanto were at the crease. Shanto then indulged in an ill-advised sweep stroke and then Mehidy fell. Bangladesh lost their last seven wickets for just 11 runs, with the Afghanistan spinners running rampant and leaving Bangladesh and their fans shellshocked.
Allah Ghazanfar destroyed Bangladesh with his variations and mystery spin. Bangladesh failed to read him regularly enough and once he started running through the line-up, they just did not have any answers. Rashid kept doing his thing at the other end, with Omarzai and Nabi also coming to the party at other junctures. This was, especially when Bangladesh were cruising at 120-2, a game Afghanistan had no business winning. But they have won. And they have won it. With an enormous margin to spare. And at an absolute canter.
Afghanistan are slowly turning Sharjah into their fortress. It has not been long since they registered their maiden series win against South Africa and today they have blown Bangladesh away. Mind you in both innings they were under pressure but found ways to get out of it and take a 1-0 lead. Bangladesh will be disappointed as they started well with both bat and ball but allowed Afghanistan to get back into the game. They will have to do better if they are to level the series against this Afghanistan side in these conditions.