In the second and last one-day international of the series, which took place today in Chattogram, Afghanistan’s opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck a run-a-ball century, putting his team on track to make a massive total against Bangladesh.
After claiming victory in the first game of the series, Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Liton Das allowed the tourists to bat first in the second game. Afghanistan could not have wished for a better start than this one.
On July 8, 2023, fans of Afghanistan could be seen cheering inside the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
The opening pair of Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have scored 174 runs in 28 overs, which is the highest-ever opening stand for their nation. This opening partnership is higher than the 141 runs that Karim Sadiq and Javed Ahmadi scored against the Netherlands in 2012.
At the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Gurbaz seemed to be in excellent form from the beginning and played the role of the aggressor as the right-hander strolled to his fourth one-day international hundred in 20 appearances. Along the way, the right-hander struck eight boundaries and six maximums.
His partner Ibrahim Zadran seems calm and is just two runs away from reaching his third fifty in 13 one-day international innings.
All of Bangladesh’s bowlers have been lackluster, giving up extra runs and often straying from their intended line and length.