Afghanistan clinch T20I series 2-0 with six-wicket victory

Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets to clinch the three-match T20I series 2-0 with one match remaining. 

While Rashid Khan was the star of the show for the Afghans with the ball, bagging four wickets for 12 runs in his four overs as Afghanistan restricted Tigers to 134 for eight wickets, Samiullah Shenwari was the hero with the bat. Chasing a target of 135, Shenwari stayed nearly till the end after coming in at number three, hitting a 41-ball 49 with two fours and three sixes.

Mohammad Nabi, who came in at a difficult period of the game when Tigers' bowlers were trying to put the squeeze on the Afghan run-scoring with dot balls, played a brilliant cameo of a 15-ball 31 to see them home. Needing 20 off the last two overs after Shenwari was bowled by Mosaddek Hossain, Nabi hit the first two pitched-up balls from Rubel Hossain for a four and a six before missing the third delivery -- a short ball. He was however prepared for another short ball and ramped it over short third man for a four to bring the equation down to six from eight balls. Nabi then hit the fifth ball of the over high over long on for a huge six to seal the match and the series for Afghanistan. 

Earlier, the difference between the two sides was evident in the way Bangladesh played their last six overs and the way Afghanistan had managed the same passage in the first T20I on Sunday, which they won by 45 runs. Afghanistan had plundered 76 runs after being reduced to 91 for four at the end of the 14th over but in Tuesday's second T20I, Bangladesh could score just 35 runs for the loss of four wickets from a score of 99 for four after 14. 

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan and a settled Tamim Iqbal were at the crease, but it was once again the leg spin of Rashid Khan that broke the Tigers' back. Unlike Bangladesh in the first match, Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai had the wisdom of bowling his spinners even when the slog was on and Rashid repaid that faith in the 16th over when he took three wickets. Shakib was caught at long on for three, Tamim swept all around a googly to be bowled for a 48-ball 43 and Mosaddek Hossain fell to a first-ball duck when an apparently undetectable googly had him plumb in front.

Tamim had done his best to play the role of an anchor while wickets kept tumbling around him. Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman kept things tight in the first over, and that paid dividends immediately when Liton Das -- Bangladesh's top-scorer in the first match -- holed out to deep midwicket off the first ball of the second over from Shapoor Zadran.

Sabbir Rahman was promoted up the order to number three and he briefly showed his fine hand-eye coordination, but that lasted just nine balls and yielded three boundaries off Zadran in the fourth over before he was caught off Mohammad Nabi in the fifth over for 13. Mushfiqur Rahim put on 45 runs with Tamim for the third wicket in 5.2 overs, but just when it seemed that Bangladesh were building some momentum towards a sizeable total, Nabi had him stumped for an 18-ball 22 to cut the tourists down to 75 for three in the 10th over.

Mahmudullah Riyad announced his intentions with a first-ball six over cow corner off Nabi, and seemed intent on playing a positive innings but like Sabbir, it was not meant to last as he was bowled by rookie pacer Karim Janat off the last ball of the 12th over. His down-the-wicket heave may have been a panicked response to the dangerous Rashid being introduced into the attack in the previous over, and it seemed a justified response given what followed.

Teams

Bangladesh:

Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Abu Hider, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain

Afghanistan:

Mohammad Shahzad, Usman Ghani, Asghar Stanikzai (C), Shafiqullah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat,  Shapoor Zadran