Spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20th birthday in style by producing a stunning all-round display as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 136 runs in an Asia Cup match here on Thursday.
Rashid smashed an unbeaten 57 off just 32 balls in a superb counter-attacking batting display to take Afghanistan to a competitive 255 for 7 after opting to bat. He and Gulbadin Naib (42 not out) stitched 95 runs for the unconquered eighth wicket as they rained boundaries towards the end of their innings.
On the back of their late batting pyrotechnics, Afghanistan scored 97 runs from the final 10 overs and that made the difference in the fate of the match which, however, was rendered inconsequential as both sides have already made it to the Super Four stage from Group B. Later, Rashid showed why he is considered a premier leg spinner in the world by taking two crucial wickets, that of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, the two most experienced players in the Bangladesh side in the absence of the likes of previous match centurion Mushfiqur Rahim.
Shakib Al Hasan (32) and Mahmudullah (27) were the top-scorers for Bangladesh and Rashid claimed their wickets with two gems of deliveries to break the backbone of their run chase. Bangladesh eventually were all out for just 119 in 42.1 overs. Afghanistan will enter the Super Four stage with confidence after having won both their group matches. They play Pakistan in the same venue on Friday.
Twitter hailed Rashid Khan's brilliant performance.
Rashid Khan will have his task cut out in the Super 4 stages where Afghanistan will play against fancied teams like Pakistan and India. If Khan can ensure that the war-ravaged country can even enter the final, it will be no less than a fairytale. And lifting the Asia Cup will be the perfect icing to the cake. The Afghan players have defied all odds and predictions so far and clearly sky is the limit for them. In Rashid Khan, they have a true global star, capable of changing matches on his own. Just 20 years old, Khan is set to dominate the world stage for years and likely to get massive cult status by the time he hangs up his boots.
With PTI inputs
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