Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and batsman Liton Das helped Bangladesh halt an eight-match losing streak in Twenty20 internationals with a resounding 61-run win over Afghanistan in Dhaka yesterday.
Nasum returned with career-best figures of 4 for 10 as Bangladesh bowled out Afghanistan for 94 runs in 17.4 overs after Liton’s 60 off 44 balls guided the side to 155-8 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The win ended Bangladesh’s long streak of defeats in T20Is starting from the Twenty20 World Cup in Oman and the UAE last year and gave the side a 1-0 lead in a two-match series.
Nasum picked up four wickets in his only spell, opening the bowling for Bangladesh to give the hosts a firm grip on the game as they reduced Afghanistan to 20 for 4 inside five overs. Najibullah Zadran and skipper Mohamed Nabi briefly stopped the rot with a 37-run fifth-wicket stand before Shakib Al Hasan dismissed both. Zadran, dropped on four by wicketkeeper Liton, made 27 off 26 balls. Azmatullah Omarzai staged a late fightback to score 20 off 18 balls but it was not enough.
BANGLADESH NAME TEST SQUAD
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and opener Tamim Iqbal returned as Bangladesh named an 18-man squad yesterday for their two-match Test series against South Africa in March-April.
Shakib skipped Bangladesh’s previous Test series against New Zealand and reportedly asked for leave to play in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament. But he went unsold in the IPL auction, paving his return to the Test side.
ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (Capt), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan and Khaled Ahmed.
TEST SQUAD: Mominul Haque (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam and Nurul Hasan.
