The finals between Afghanistan and Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball being bowled played at Sher-e- Bangla Stadium, Mirpur on Tuesday.
Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe in the opening match of the series played on 5th September at Dhaka. Chasing down the target of 145 runs to win, Bangladesh were tottering at 60 for 6, but Afif Hossain and Mossadek Hossain 82 runs partnership for the 7th wicket helped the hosts chase down the target to chase down the target in a thrilling encounter.
In their next match, Bangladesh was hammered by Afghanistan by 25 runs at Dhaka on 15th September 2019. Mohammad Nabi brilliant 84 and Asghar Afghan 40 helped Afghanistan to recover from a hopeless situation and scored 164 for 6. In reply, Bangladesh was bowled out for 139 in 19.5 overs.
Bangladesh came back to winning ways defeating Zimbabwe in a do or die match played at Chattagroam on 18th September. A great batting performance by Bangladesh helped them to post 175 for 7 and bowled out Zimbabwe for 136 to qualify for the finals. In their final league match against Afghanistan, thanks to Shakib AL Hasan captains knock, Bangladesh registered a 4-wicket win. Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to 138 for 7 in 20 overs. Despite the hosts losing wickets, Shakib AL Hasan stayed firm and won the match by 4 wickets with 1 over to spare.
Afghanistan had a good tournament winning 2 and losing 2 matches. They started the tournament with convincing 28 runs win over Zimbabwe on 14th September. Najibullah Zadran 69* off 30 balls and Mohammad Nabi 38 off 18 balls helped Afghanistan post a massive total of 197 for 5. In reply, Zimbabwe could only score 169 for 7 in 20 overs.
Afghanistan continued their superb form in their 2nd match against Bangladesh on 15th September at Dhaka. After being reduced to 40 for 4, Nabi and Asghar Afghan added 79 runs for the 5th wicket. Nabi 84* off 54 balls helped Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 164 for 6. The Afghan bowlers did not allow Bangladesh batsmen to score runs easily and bowled the hosts out for 139 in 19.5 overs.
After a great beginning to the tournament, Afghanistan lost to Zimbabwe by 7 wickets at Chattgroam on 20th September. Despite Gurbaz 61, Afghanistan was restricted to 155 for 8 in 20 overs. Hamilton Maskadaza played a captain knock in his final international match scoring 71 off 42 and helped Zimbabwe register 7 wickets win with 3 balls to spare.
In their final league match against Bangladesh, Afghanistan batting faltered again. After the openers added 75 runs for opening wicket, Rashid Khan-led side posted only 138 for 7. Thanks to Shakib AL Hasan 70* off 45 balls, Bangladesh won the match by 4 wickets with 1 over to spare.
Rahmatullah Gurbaz was awarded the man of the series with 133 runs from 4 matches he played. It was an amazing tournament for both teams. The cricket played in the tournament was brilliant.
