| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
Afghanistan 145 for 6 (Shenwari 33*, Nazmul 2-18) beat Bangladesh 144 for 6 (Mushfiqur 46, Mahmudullah 46) by 1 run
Dehradun: Afghanistan completed an emphatic whitewash over Bangladesh after beating them by just 1 run in third and final T20I in Dehradun on Thursday.
Once again it was Rashid Khan (Man of the Series) who starred with the ball and successfully defended nine runs in the final over.
Chasing 146, Bangladesh were in a spot of bother at the start but wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim brought his side back into the match by smashing 5 fours in the penultimate over to bring the equation down from 30 runs in 12 balls to 9 runs in 6 deliveries.
Only 4 were required off the last ball when Rashid sent down yet another impeccable googly to which Ariful Haque tried to slog hard but failed to clear the ropes as his team failed to get past the finishing line.
Batting first the men from Afghanistan posted a challenging score of 145 on a sluggish surface. For Bangladesh, it was yet another instance where their top order perished without making any significant contribution.
Courtesy of Mushfiqur Rahim’s 46 and Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 44 the Tigers almost reached the cusp of victory before falling in the last lap.
The crushing 3-0 series win also ensured that Afghanistan completes a clean sweep over Bangladesh in their first ever T20 bilateral series.
Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai won the toss for the first time in the series and opted to bat first.
While the Afghans opted for just one change, Bangladesh made three adjustments by roping in the trio of Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque, and Mehidy Hasan in place of Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, and Mosaddek Hossain.
Mehidy Hasan was brought on in the first over itself with skipper Shakib Al Hasan operating from the other end during the powerplay.
However, spin from both ends did not trouble the opening duo of Usman Ghani and Mohammad Shahzad.
43 runs came in the powerplay without any hiccups as the duo went on to forge yet another 50-run partnership between themselves.
However, a poor umpiring decision brought a premature end to Mohammad Shahzad’s entertaining knock (26 off 22 balls). Usman Ghani followed soon ending his struggle at the crease (19 off 26 balls.)
