Hamid Hassan, the batting coach for Afghanistan, said that his team was one step ahead in terms of playing good cricket. As a former player, he thinks that this part of their game helped them upset Bangladesh as the guests won their first ODI series against the Tigers.
Afghanistan took a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first ODI by 17 runs (DLS method) and the second by a huge 142 runs.
“We played a little bit of good cricket, one step ahead of Bangladesh maybe and that’s why maybe Bangladesh couldn’t catch our bowlers or hitter and get them out early. That might have been the main point. We thought one step ahead of Bangladesh, and you can see the result,” Hassan told the press before Monday’s third and final ODI.
“Beating Bangladesh in Bangladesh isn’t easy, but we worked really hard, practiced for five or six hours, and believed in the team, the players, and ourselves. The most important thing was that. If you and your team believe in yourselves, you can beat anyone.”
In both games, Afghanistan’s bowling attack of Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan made it hard for the Bangladesh batters to score. However, in the second game, the Bangladesh batters, especially Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, beat the Tigers badly.
Gurbaz hit 13 fours and eight sixes on his way to 145 runs in 125 balls, and Zadran got a steady 100 in 119 balls. Together, the two put up 256 runs in the first stand.
In terms of bowling, Farooqi made the new ball talk by putting the Bangladesh openers on a leash, while Mujeeb used his secret to great effect by taking early wickets to slow down the Tigers.
Nabi stuck to his plan, and as usual, none of the Bangladesh hitters could figure out what top Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan was going to do.
Hassan said that now that Afghanistan has won the first two games, they will try to keep up the good work they’ve been doing and try to win the series 3-0.
“Beating Bangladesh in Bangladesh is not an easy job. The boys did a great job. You can bat, bowl, and even play the field. Overall, it was a group effort, and that’s why we did so well. We hope to win again tomorrow, Inshallah. We’ll play cricket in a good way,” he said.