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Afghanistan who elected to bat first did get the right start as they lost two wickets before the end of the sixth over. For the third wicket, Mohammad Shahzad and Hashmatullah Shahidi put together a 51-run partnership but the former soon departed for 37 runs.
While wickets kept on falling at the other end, half-centurion Hashmatullah Shahidi was pulling the innings together. In spite of Shahidi's half-century, Afghanistan seemed to be in trouble as no batsman supported his efforts.
After Shahzad's departure, Shahidi tried to build a partnership with the captain, Asghar Afghan but that did not last long as Asghar got out for 8. Next came the experienced Shamiullah Shenwari but he too departed for 18. As a result of the building pressure to score runs, Shahidi too got out knicking one to the keeper.
Gulbadin Naib joined Mohammad Nabi in the middle after Shahidi's departure but with just 10 more runs on the board Nabi got out bringing birthday boy Rashid Khan to the crease. When Rashid Khan came to the crease, Afghanistan were struggling with 160 runs on board and 55 left in the innings.
With Rashid coming into the middle, Naib also upped the ante hitting two consecutive fours off Abu Hider's bowling in the 42nd over. After a brief period of silence, the duo unleashed their force in the 45th over as Rashid followed up a four by Naib with a four and a six. As a result of which, 17 runs came off Rubel Hossain's over.
After that, the two batsmen did not waste in opportunities as they ran many hard twos in the UAE heat. Just when Afghanistan needed the flourish, Rashid Khan unleashed the brute force in him as he punished Bangladesh captain, Moshrafe Mortaza. While he hit two fours in the 48th over (17 runs) bowled by Mortaza, he improved his fours' tally in the final over (19 runs) of the innings by smashing four fours in the over.
As a result of the onslaught, Rashid reached the half-century off just 31 balls and helped Afghanistan post a target of 256. The 55-ball 95 run eighth wicket partnership between Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan might come back to haunt Bangladesh in the second innings.
Here's how Twitter reacted to Rashid Khan's half-century:
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