Ban vs Afg: Liton Das leads Bangladesh to ODI series win

CHITTAGONG: Liton Das made a century and had a 202-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim to help Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 88 runs in the second ODI in Chittagong on Friday.

At the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Liton’s 136 off 126 balls helped the hosts to 306-4 before bowling out the visitors for 218 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Mushfiqur Rahim smashed 86 off 93 balls before Taskin Ahmed (2-31) and Shakib Al Hasan (2-38) joined with other bowlers to end Afghanistan’s batting in 45.1 overs.

Afghanistan were humiliated at 34-3 after losing their first three wickets quickly, but Najibullah Zadran (54) and Rahmat Shah (52) lifted them with an 89-run fourth-wicket stand.

Taskin, on the other hand, bowled Shah to end the partnership and then removed Zadran to put Bangladesh in control.

When Bangladesh decided to bat, left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi trapped Tamim Iqbal leg-before for 12 and Rashid Khan got rid of Shakib (20) off his second delivery, they were already in danger.

But Liton and Mushfiqur kept the ship afloat.

Liton smashed 16 fours and two sixes in his innings, bringing up his sixth ODI century with a four against Rashid.

Fareed Ahmad bowled Liton and Mushfiqur off successive deliveries, but not before they exceeded Tamim and Mushfiqur’s previous greatest third-wicket ODI partnership of 176 runs, set against Pakistan in 2015.

“The partnership Liton and Mushy created was amazing,” said Bangladesh captain Tamim. “Though we did not finish well with the bat the bowlers did the job for us.”

Fareed, who was playing his debut match in the series, finished with 2-56 for Afghanistan.

“We conceded a few too many in the early overs and then that partnership between Mushy and Liton took the game away from us,” lamented Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

After a seventh-wicket stand between Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan guided Bangladesh to a four-wicket win in the first match on Wednesday, it was the second Bangladesh partnership record of the series.

On Monday, the series’ third and final match will be played at the same venue.

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