Nurul, Rishad Hold Nerve as Bangladesh Edge Afghanistan in Sharjah Thriller

Bangladesh overcame a mid-innings scare to clinch a four-wicket win over Afghanistan in the opening T20I at Sharjah on Thursday, wrapping up the chase with eight balls to spare. What initially looked like a straightforward pursuit turned into a tense battle before Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain steered the visitors to victory.

Set a target of 152, Bangladesh made a flying start through Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon. The left-handed duo smashed rapid half-centuries—Tanzid 51 off 37 and Emon 54 off 37—while adding 109 for the opening stand. But the game turned dramatically as Rashid Khan struck back, weaving magic in the middle overs. His brilliant 4 for 18 tore into the top order, reducing Bangladesh from 109 without loss to 117 for 5 in just 19 deliveries. Noor Ahmad’s miserly bowling further tightened the screws as the chase grew tricky.

Nurul, however, shifted momentum with audacious stroke-play, blasting 23 off 13 balls, highlighted by back-to-back sixes off Azmatullah Omarzai in the 19th over. Rishad stayed composed with an unbeaten 14 off nine, sealing the chase with a streaky four as Bangladesh finished on 153 for 6 in 18.4 overs.

Earlier, Afghanistan managed 151 for 9 after electing to bat. Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scored with 40 off 31, while Mohammad Nabi’s brisk 38 off 25 added momentum. Sharafuddin Ashraf chipped in with an unbeaten 17, but regular breakthroughs stalled progress. Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Rishad Hossain picked up two wickets each, while Mustafizur Rahman and Nasum Ahmed kept things tight with disciplined spells.