‘We did the hard work but got out when wicket got better’

Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal hinted that batting failure has cost his side their third ODI against Afghanistan in Chattogram today.

"Very disappointed," Tamim said after their seven-wicket defeat in the last of their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium today.

Bangladesh had a decent start with the bat as they scored 121 for three in 26 overs. However, following the departure of Yasir Ali and Liton Das in the next couple of overs, Bangladesh's middle-order collapsed as the Afghans bundled the Tigers out for 192 in 46.5 overs.

"We started well and lost the rhythm in the middle. Liton Das got out at the wrong time," he added while mentioning the significance of the match as winning it would have further strengthened Bangladesh's position in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League.

Despite the loss today, Bangladesh are still on top of the ICC ODI Super League table with 10 wins from 15 matches.

"I probably thought this was the most important game in the series as it was about gaining as many points as possible. We were 100 for one, did the hard work but lost the wickets when the wicket got better," Tamim concluded.

Meanwhile, Liton Das was adjudged the player-of-the-series for his consistent form with the bat, finishing the series with 223 runs.

"I did my job in the first 15 overs since they bowled well in the first Powerplay. My target is to bat at least for 35 overs and if I can bat for longer, it will change the game," Liton, who scored a fluent 86 today following a ton in the second ODI, said.

On the other hand, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was proud of his team's performance and showered praise on his bowlers.

"Proud of how we have won the game after losing the first two. Farooqi's [Fazalhaq] bowling is a big plus. I also loved how Rashid [Khan] and Nabi [Mohammad] bowled today. Gurbaz [Rahmanullah] and Riaz [Hassan] were remarkable with the bat," said the Afghan skipper.