BAN vs AFG Highlights, Asia Cup 2025: Bangladesh clinched a nail-biting 8-run win over Afghanistan, with key performances from Tanzid Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. Noor Ahmad’s late sixes thrilled fans but couldn’t save the chase.
Match Overview
- Fixture: Match 9, Group B, Asia Cup 2025
- Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
- Date: 16 September 2025
- Result: Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 8 runs.
- Importance: A “do-or-die” match for Bangladesh to stay alive in contention for the Super Four stage.
Bangladesh Batting Innings
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first. The pitch looked slightly slow, and scoring freely wasn’t going to be easy, especially against Afghanistan’s spin threat.
Key Contributions:
- Tanzid Hasan (52 off 31 balls): The star of Bangladesh’s innings. He gave a quick start, with a good strike rate, hitting boundaries and sixes, anchoring the innings.
- Saif Hassan (30 off 28 balls): Alongside Tanzid, he helped build a solid opening partnership of 63 runs for the first wicket, giving Bangladesh a platform.
- Towhid Hridoy added a useful 26 off 20 when the middle overs needed someone to keep momentum.
- Lower-order contributions: Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan remained not out and added small but valuable runs, helping push the total to 154/5 in 20 overs.
Struggles:
- After the good start, Bangladesh lost momentum in the middle overs. They were unable to accelerate as much as needed. Spinners from Afghanistan (like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad) tied things up well.
- Wickets fell at intervals. Litton Das was dismissed early in the middle overs.
Afghanistan Chase
Chasing 155 to win, Afghanistan got off to a disastrous start:
- First ball wicket: Sediqullah Atal was dismissed off the very first ball to Nasum Ahmed. That put immediate pressure on the Afghan top order.
- By around 6 overs, Afghanistan were 27/2.
Middle and Late Escapes:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35) tried to steady things. He gave them some hope.
- Azmatullah Omarzai played aggressively: 30 off 16 balls. Good cameo. But couldn’t carry it through.
Death Overs Drama:
- Afghanistan needed 31 from the last 3 overs. Big ask.
- With 6 balls left, 22 needed. Noor Ahmad came in swinging and hit two sixes in the final over—briefly raised hopes. But discipline from Bangladesh bowlers, especially Taskin Ahmed in final over, and fielding held up
Ultimately, Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 in the final over. South Asia Cup tension, last ball nearly — but Bangladesh held on.
Read Also : India vs Pakistan Match Highlights
Bangla Bowlers’ Performance
Bangladesh’s win heavily hinged on collective bowling:
- Mustafizur Rahman was crucial. He took 3 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs. His spell in the 19th over (wickets in consecutive balls) shifted momentum.
- Nasum Ahmed: Excellent tight spell. 2 wickets and gave just 11 runs in 4 overs (2/11). First over wicket of Atal set the tone.
- Rishad Hossain also bowled well and took 2/18, applying spin pressure.
- Taskin Ahmed held his nerve in the final over, taking the final wicket.
Match Turning Points & Highlights
- The 63-run opening stand between Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan set Bangladesh up nicely. It gave them belief.
- Early wicket off first ball by Nasum Ahmed in Afghanistan’s chase. That increases pressure.
- Mustafizur’s double wicket over in the 19th — dismissing Rashid Khan and Ghazanfar — turned the match towards Bangladesh.
- Noor Ahmad’s late hitting nearly turned things around; his two sixes in the last over brought excitement. But Taskin Ahmed’s composed final over eventually closed things.
- Fielding and extras: Bangladesh were alert in the field, didn’t give away freebies; Afghanistan’s tail couldn’t support the hitters. Also, Afghanistan’s middle and lower order collapse at crucial moments.
Implications & Context
- With this win, Bangladesh keep their Super Four hopes alive. They needed this win; anything less and they were out.
- Afghanistan, though performing well in patches, will now have to rely on net run rate and their final game result. They were doing well in the group but losing this tight game hurts.
- Group B becomes tighter. Sri Lanka also plays Afghanistan in their final group match. The table is wide open depending on who wins and by how much.
Player of the Match & Standouts
- Player of the Match: Nasum Ahmed for the early strikes and economical spell (2/11) that set Afghanistan back.
- Batting star: Tanzid Hasan for his fearless 52 off 31 — highest scorer for Bangladesh. Saif Hassan’s solid start also noteworthy.
- Bowling stars: Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain — all three held their nerve, bowled well under pressure. Afghanistan’s spinners (Rashid, Noor Ahmad) also got good returns but couldn’t carry the chase across.
Final Reflection
This match was classic T20 drama: modest target, brilliant spells, late over tension, and small moments that made big differences. Bangladesh showed that you don’t always need huge scores; what matters is pressure, discipline, and performance when it counts. Afghanistan will feel disappointed — they showed fight, individual brilliance, but perhaps lacked consistency at crucial junctures.
For Bangladesh, this win keeps hope alive, but they’ll need to maintain momentum and avoid letting nerves get to them. Batting depth and middle overs resistance will be key in the next match.
