Bangladesh Recover to Post 244, Thanks to Miraz and Mahmudullah's Stand

After a blistering start from their openers, Bangladesh once again found themselves in a batting crisis. However, this time, they managed to avoid an early collapse, thanks to a resilient partnership between veteran Mahmudullah Riyad and Mehedi Hasan Miraz. Their remarkable 145-run partnership brought Bangladesh back into the game, allowing them to post a challenging total of 244 runs.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz, playing his 100th ODI, celebrated the milestone with an important 66-run knock. In addition, he also had the honor of captaining the team for the first time in an international match, following the injury of regular captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto. Winning the toss, Miraz opted to bat first, and his decision proved crucial as Bangladesh navigated through difficult phases in their innings.

However, Bangladesh’s top order once again struggled after a strong opening partnership. Soumya Sarkar and Tanzid Hasan Tamim gave Bangladesh a flying start, with a 53-run opening stand, but the collapse came quickly. In the space of just three overs, the Tigers lost two quick wickets.

Soumya Sarkar was the first to fall, dismissed for 24 when he edged an outside-off delivery from Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai, which went on to hit the stumps. Tamim, who had looked solid, was the next to go in the very next over. Mohammad Nabi struck with his first delivery, catching Tamim at cover point for 19.

Zakir Hasan, brought in for the injured Shanto, failed to make an impact, dismissed cheaply for just 4 runs. In a communication mix-up with Miraz, Zakir was run out, and Bangladesh’s score plummeted to 58/3, just 5.3 overs into the innings.

Towhid Hridoy, who had struggled in the previous two matches, continued his poor form, falling for just 7 runs. The series of failures left Bangladesh teetering at 72/4, with the prospect of another collapse looming large. But then, Mahmudullah and Miraz stepped in to calm the nerves.

Mahmudullah, with his calm and composed batting, steered the innings. He reached his half-century in 63 balls and was the more aggressive of the two, while Miraz played a patient knock, taking 106 balls for his 66. The duo defied Afghanistan’s spinners, holding the innings together and adding a vital 145 runs for the fifth wicket.

Miraz’s resistance was finally broken by Azmatullah Omarzai, who claimed his wicket for 66, with the partnership coming to an end. Despite the loss of Miraz, Mahmudullah continued to anchor the innings, and it looked like he might reach a century. Unfortunately, in the final ball of the innings, he was run out for 98, just two runs short of a well-deserved century.

Bangladesh finished on 244 runs, a score that seemed improbable after their early setbacks. After the fall of Miraz, Zakir Ali Onik was dismissed quickly for 1, caught behind off a successful review by Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s spinners, particularly Omarzai, had a good day. Omarzai picked up 4 wickets, including the crucial scalp of Mahmudullah. Nasum Ahmed, who had looked solid earlier in the innings, was dismissed by Omarzai for a duck, which also marked a career-best 4-wicket haul for the Afghan bowler.

Despite the batting collapse, Bangladesh’s recovery through Miraz and Mahmudullah’s gritty stand gave them hope of a competitive total. Afghanistan will need to chase down 245 runs if they are to level the series in this crucial match.