Touring Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket team reached the final Tri-Nation Under-19 One-Day Cricket Tournament eliminating all-losers Afghanistan by eight wickets with 153 balls remaining in their 4th match at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Bangladesh will play hosts India in the final on Sunday while India will play all-losers Afghanistan in the last league match on Friday.
Bangladesh youth team made a frustrating start after suffering a 82-run defeat against hosts India in the double-league basis competition last Saturday and smartly bounced back in the tourney beating Afghanistan by four wickets in the 2nd match last Sunday.
Touring Bangladesh also conceded four wickets defeat against hosts India in their 3rd match at the same venue on Tuesday.
In the day’s match, Afghanistan batted first and were bundled out cheaply for 99 runs in 26.2 overs against superb bowling by Bangladesh spinners Saleh Ahmed Shawon and Saeed Sarkar, who claimed three wickets each conceding 32 and 6 runs respectively.
In reply, Bangladesh scored 101 runs for 2 in 24.3 overs to seal their 2nd victory against Afghanistan to make an easy passage for the final against all-win India.
Having opted to bat first, Afghanistan had a decent start with the openers Hazratullah and Ishanullah putting on 34 in 5.4 overs. Once Ishanullah was undone by Mehedi Hasan Miraz, the collapse began, Afghanistan losing three wickets in a space of five balls.
The freefall stretched to the middle and lower order as well with only two batsmen, apart from the openers managing double-digit scores. Pervez Malakzai and Tariq offered a semblance of resistance, making 12 and 27 but it wasn’t enough to push their side to three figures.
Afghanistan’s pacers dismissed the Bangladesh openers quickly in the chase but Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mehedi Hasan Miraz put on an unbroken 72 at a fairly brisk clip to steer their team home and hand Afghanistan the knockout punch.
