Bangladesh A team makes 2-2 draw with Afghanistan A

Sports Desk: Coming from behind, hosts Bangladesh A team settled for a 2-2 draw in the 5-match unofficial one-day series beating the touring Afghanistan A team by 42 runs in the 5th and last one-day match at BKSP in Savar on Monday.

Sent into bat first, the 2nd string Bangladesh team, riding on a century by Mohammad Naim and a half century by Afif Hossain, scored a moderate total of 262 runs for 9 in 50 overs.

Opening batsman Mohammad Naim smashed 126 runs off 143 balls hitting 11 fours and a six, number five batsman Afif Hossain scored 53 runs off 50 hitting four fours and two sixes, Aminul Islam scored 22 off 40 balls while captain Imrul Kayes added 21 runs off 27 balls, featuring four boundaries.

Karim Jannat grabbed three wickets for 73 runs while Fazal Niazai took two conceding 56 runs for the visitors.

In reply, Afghanistan A team were dismissed for 200 runs in 45.1 overs.

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored the team’s highest 54 off 41 balls featuring seven fours and three sixes, captain Nasir Jamal scored 47 off 72 balls hitting three fours and Sharafuddin Ashraf added 35 off 35 balls with help of two fours and two sixes.

Yeasin Arafat inflicted the major damage in Afghan innings grabbing three wickets for 40 runs while Shafiqul Islam and Aminul Islam claimed two wickets each conceding 32 and 45 runs respectively.

Later, Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim was adjudged the man of the match and Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran named as the man of the series.

Earlier, the 2nd string Afghanistan team beat Bangladesh A by 10 wickets in the 1st match on July 19 and beat them again by four wickets in the 2nd match on July 21, both in Chattogram, to take a 2-0 lead.

Hosts Bangladesh team bounced back in series (2-1), beating Afghanistan A by seven wickets in the 3rd match on July 24 in Chattogram.

The 4th one-day match between two teams was washed out due to rain at BKSP on July 27.

The hosts also lost the two-match four-day unofficial Test series 1-0 against Afghanistan A team.

In the 1st four-dayer, Bangladesh A suffered a 5-wicket loss in Khulna and settled for a draw in rain-interrupted 2nd match in Chattogram.

risingbd/Dhaka/July 29, 2019/AKA