The key Group B match of the Asia Cup 2025, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, was a thriller, where Bangladesh stayed alive in the tournament after securing a crucial eight-run win. While the Afghan batting line-up was struggling from the very first ball of the second innings, there was a game-changing moment for the Afghans when Azmatullah Omarzai smashed 20 runs in an over.

It was the 14th over of the second innings, when Afghanistan were struggling at 77/5, and they still needed 78 runs in 42 balls while chasing a 155-run target. As Bangladesh went with four front-line bowlers, they needed to bowl four overs with the part-timers, where the Tigers conceded 55 runs in those four overs.

See Also: Top 3 reasons why Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2025 match 9

Asia Cup 2025 (Group B), BAN vs AFG: Azmatullah Omarzai hit two sixes and one four in an over

While Shamim Hossain conceded 16 runs in an over, Saif Hassan conceded 39 runs in three overs. In the 14th over, while the Afghans were struggling, Azmatullah Omarzai smashed 20 runs to Saif, as the momentum changed. Starting that over with a four after beating the sweeper fielder, the right-handed batter hit a six over long off on the next delivery. While the third ball was a dot, Omarzai smashed a monstrous sixer over midwicket that travelled 93 metres. In the next two balls, Omarzai took back-to-back two runs to complete the over with 20 runs. 

Azmat keeps the chase alive & kicking with some lusty hits 😯👀

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Afghanistan must win against Sri Lanka

However, Afghanistan's brave fight was just short of the target. They were all out for 146 runs in 20 overs, where Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35), Omarzai (30), and captain Rashid Khan (20) had major contributions, but they didn't get enough support. 

All four regular Bangladesh bowlers picked up at least two wickets. While the Player of the Match Nasum Ahmed was exceptional with the bowling figures of 4-1-11-2, Mustafizur Rahman took three wickets (3/28), and Taskin Ahmed (2/34) and Rishad Hossain (2/18) both picked up two wickets each. 

So, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh both have four points, while Afghanistan have two points, and they must beat Sri Lanka to advance to the Super Fours. If Afghanistan fail to beat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will qualify for the Super Fours along with the Lankans, but if the Afghans manage to beat the Lankans, the Tigers are unlikely to reach the Super Four, except for a giant defeat for Sri Lanka. 

After scoring 154/5 in the must-win Asia Cup 2025 fixture against Afghanistan, Bangladesh got a perfect start with a wicket in the second innings.

It is a must-win game for Bangladesh to stay in the contest for the Super Fours qualification in the Asia Cup 2025, as a defeat in their last game of the Group B against Afghanistan will confirm their group stage exit from the tournament. Meanwhile, they will stay in the contest with a victory in this match, while Afghanistan’s defeat against Sri Lanka in the last game of Group B will guide the Tigers to the Super Fours stage. But if Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka, the net run rate will come into play as all these three teams will have four points each. Currently, Bangladesh are well behind in the net run rate. 

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Nasum Ahmed dismissed Sediqullah Atal for a golden duck

Chasing down the 155-run target, Afghanistan got a blow on the first ball of the innings, as their opener Sediqullah Atal, who scored Afghanistan’s highest runs 73 not out in their first game of the tournament against Hong Kong, was dismissed for a golden duck. Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed started the innings with the ball, and he successfully managed to trap the Afghan opener. It was a flighted good length delivery on the stumps, while the ball skidded on, and Atal completely failed to handle that ball at the back foot. It hit on his pad, and it was a plumb, while Atal did not doubt, as he didn’t waste a review. Afghanistan scored their first run in the innings after nine dot deliveries, as their first run came from a wide delivery. 

Nasum Ahmed traps Atal in front on the very first ball of the innings 🔥

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Bangladesh struggled in second half of their innings

Talking about Bangladesh's innings, their openers Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan set a great platform with a 63-run partnership for the first wicket. While Saif scored 30 off 28 balls, Tanzid scored 52 off 31 balls. Apart from them, only Towhid Hridoy (26) managed to reach the 20-run mark in that innings. Bangladesh recorded 67/4 in the last 10 overs, as Afghan spinners dominated in the second half. 

Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan in Match No. 9 of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, September 16. The Bengal Tigers made a strong start to their campaign by defeating Hong Kong convincingly with a seven-wicket victory. However, in their second game, Bangladesh appeared under pressure against Sri Lanka and ended up losing by six wickets. With one win and one loss, they will be eager to bounce back and strengthen their position in the group standings.

See Also: Ex-Pakistan cricketer criticizes India, uses offensive remark about Suryakumar Yadav

Afghanistan, on the other hand, will enter this contest with confidence after their emphatic 94-run triumph over Hong Kong. Their dominant performance with both bat and ball highlighted the team’s depth and ability to control the game. The Afghan side will aim to replicate that momentum against Bangladesh and continue their push toward the knockout stages. With both teams keen to secure vital points, the clash promises to be a thrilling contest in Abu Dhabi.

Asia Cup 2025, Match 9, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan: Live Streaming Details

Asia Cup 2025, Match 9, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan: Probable Playing XI

Bangladesh (Probable Playing XI):

Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Litton Das(w/c), Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman

Afghanistan (Probable Playing XI):

Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Long and patient partnerships have been somewhat scarce in recent times, with T20 cricket series and leagues taking center stage in the past few months. However, the onset of the Asia Cup has reintroduced us to some memorable partnerships. Whether it’s the commanding performance of Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed against Nepal or the crisis-solving collaboration of Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya against Pakistan, noteworthy partnerships have become a highlight of the tournament and yesterday’s display was no exception.

While Mehidy Hasan has long been acknowledged for his precision as a bowler, his batting abilities have often taken a back seat. However, since the year 2022, there has been a noticeable shift in his batting performance. In ODIs, he has maintained an average of 34 with a striking rate approaching 80, underscoring his growing proficiency with the bat. The last time he opened the innings for Bangladesh dates back to the 2018 Asia Cup finals against India. In that memorable match, he partnered brilliantly with Litton Das, contributing a valuable 32 runs to the team’s cause.

Fast forward to 5 years from then, Bangladesh provided a similar role to Mehidy ahead of their must win match against Afghanistan. After the loss of 2 wickets within the 10 over mark, he was joined in by Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has been one of the pillars of Bangladesh’s batting for the past couple of years. Together, they knitted a brilliant 194 run stand and ensure that Afghanistan are provided with a monumental task in hand.

In this article, we will breakdown this partnership by delving into a phase wise analysis.

See Also: Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s Remarkable Partnership Rescues India from an Early Crisis – Cricket Winner

See Also: Key Statistical Insights from the 4th Match of the Asia Cup: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan – Cricket Winner

Mehidy hasan and Najmul Shanto’s record breaking stand

Both the batters did start off on a slow note due to the fall of two quick wickets, but they tried to maintain a healthy run rate by scoring boundaries of mediocre deliveries. Within the first 40 balls, while they did have a good boundary percentage, their dot percentage was equally high which in turn resulted in their low non boundary strike rate. But once the spinners started to bowl at tandem in the middle overs, the two batters kept rotating the strike frequently and ensured that the frequency in dot balls reduced. This is further backed by their high non boundary strike rate in the next 40 deliveries.

After both batsmen had established themselves at the crease, they began to actively seek ways to boost the run rate by accumulating more boundaries. This intent is reflected in the rise in their boundary percentage from the 81st to the 140th delivery of their partnership. However, their focus on finding the fence didn’t deter them from capitalizing on quick singles and twos, as their non-boundary strike rate remained impressively high.

While their last phase was only about 10 deliveries, they maximized the scoring rate and had a strike rate of 240 in the last phase. It was cut short due to the niggle that Mehidy Hasan picked up in his long stay at the crease. The remarkable partnership resulted in Bangladesh posting an imposing total of 334 runs, a target that proved insurmountable for Afghanistan to chase down.