Afghanistan Beat Bangladesh by 142 Runs for a Historical Series Victory

Afghanistan, banking on a remarkable display of cricketing prowess, outclassed Bangladesh in the 2nd match of the ODI series as they secured a commanding series victory over the hosts by beating them with a margin of 142 runs.

After being put into bat, Afghanistan displayed an outstanding batting performance, putting a formidable total of 331/9 runs on the board. Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the charge with a sensational knock of 145 runs, while Ibrahim Zadran provided him strong support with a well-constructed century, scoring 100 runs. Both the openers brought up their 4th century in ODIs each. 

This remarkable feat marked the first time that both Afghan openers achieved centuries in the same ODI inning. In addition, their incredible partnership of 256 runs for the first wicket also etched a new record as Afghanistan's highest opening and overall partnership in ODIs, beating the previous bests of 141 as opening & 218* overall batting stands. In addition, Afghanistan’s talented middle-order batter Najibullah Zadran reached the milestone of 2000 runs in ODI cricket.

Lifted by their stellar batting effort, the Afghan bowlers took center stage, delivering a much-improved bowling performance. Fazal Haq Farooqi (3/22) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/40) starred with exceptional bowling figures as both picked three wickets each. Rashid Khan once again exhibited his skill and grit, securing two crucial wickets for just 28 runs, while Mohammad Nabi contributed with one wicket. Bangladesh struggled to find stability and were eventually bowled out for 189 runs to fall short by a big margin of 142 runs. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was rightfully awarded the Player of the Match award for his spectacular inning of 145 runs. This monumental victory marks a historic milestone in Afghanistan Cricket's history, as it represents the first-ever series win against Bangladesh in ODIs.

The 3rd & final match of this ODI series will be played on July 11 at the same venue, where AfghanAtalan will be looking forward to maintaining their winning momentum and further solidifying their position in the series.