Shakib Spins A Web Around The Afghanistan Batsmen

Finishes with a five-for to complement his half-century; Mushfiqur shines again

- Shayan Acharya

There’s no stopping Shakib Al Hasan! The 32-year-old dished out another all-round show — 51 off 69 balls, followed by a five-wicket haul (five for 29) — as Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 62 runs on Monday.

After putting up a modest 262 for seven at the Hampshire Bowl, Bangladesh bundled out the opponent for 200 to climb up to the fifth spot in the table.

Chasing a rather tricky total on a slow track, Afghanistan got off to a steady start with captain Gulbadin Naib (47) and Rahmat Shah (24) forging a 49-run partnership.

But things changed when Shakib packed off Rahmat. Though Naib looked determined to play a long innings, he was dismissed by the same bowler after Afghanistan crossed the 100-run mark. After the skipper’s exit, even the middle-order collapsed.

Following his gritty halfcentury against India in the last outing, expectations were high from Mohammad Nabi. But Shakib struck again, castling him for a duck.