LAHORE: Allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto smashed centuries before Bangladesh’s pace bowlers shared eight wickets to beat Afghanistan by 89 runs in the Asia Cup in Lahore on Sunday.
Miraz hit a 119-ball 112 for his highest ODI score while Shanto scored a 105-ball 104 to help Bangladesh to 334-5 before they bowled out Afghanistan for 245 in 44.3 overs.
Taskin Ahmed (4-44), Shoriful Islam (3-36) and Hasan Mahmud (1-61) took wickets at regular intervals to keep Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Super Four stage alive.
Afghanistan will now play title holders Sri Lanka — who defeated Bangladesh in their first game — on Tuesday in Lahore to decide who qualifies for the next round.
Set to chase their highest target in ODIs, Afghanistan got off to a disastrous start with Islam trapping the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz leg-before in the second over for one.
Ibrahim Zadran, who top-scored with 75, added 78 for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah (33) and another 52 for the third with Hashmatullah Shahidi (51) but failed to keep up the momentum.
Mahmud ended Zadran’s 74-ball knock with a brilliant diving catch by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to hit Afghanistan hard. He hit ten boundaries and a six.
Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran (17) added 62 for the fourth wicket to keep Afghanistan in the hunt but they fell in quick succession.
With 123 needed off the last ten overs, Rashid Khan hit a 15-ball 24 but that was too little, too late.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan praised Miraz.
“We played very well all-round,” said Shakib. “Mehidy got his chance up the order and proved himself, we always knew he had the ability. We executed our plans really well.”
Afghanistan skipper Shahidi was disappointed with his team’s bowling.
“We conceded too many runs,” said Shahidi. “It was still chaseable but we fell short and now our last game is do-or-die.”
Earlier, Miraz and Shanto helped Bangladesh put up their highest ODI total outside their own country.
The pair lifted their team from the loss of Mohammad Naim (28) and Towhid Hridoy (0) through a third-wicket stand of 194 off 190 balls, punishing Afghanistan’s spinners on a flat Qaddafi stadium pitch.
Bangladesh changed up their tactics after losing their first game, promoting right-hander Miraz up the order to open the innings.
Miraz justified the decision by striking seven boundaries before he hurt his left hand while hitting a third six and walked off the field.
Shanto hit nine boundaries and two sixes before he was run out in the 45th over as Bangladesh piled up 103 runs in the last ten overs.
Shakib carried on the good work with an 18-ball 32 not out that was laced with four boundaries and a six.
Afghanistan’s much-vaunted spin trio failed to stop the flow of runs with only Mujeeb Ur Rahman getting one wicket while Rashid went wicketless in his 10 overs which cost 66 runs.
Pakistan have already qualified for the Super Fours from Group A by beating Nepal in their first match and then seeing their clash against India end in a no result due to rain in Pallekele on Saturday.
Bangladesh thump Afghanistan to keep Asia Cup hopes alive
https://arab.news/c49kg
Bangladesh thump Afghanistan to keep Asia Cup hopes alive
- Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto smash centuries
- Afghanistan will now play title holders Sri Lanka on Tuesday for Super Four berth
Alcaraz beats Sinner in South Korea exhibition match
- “We all need the support from the fans,” Alcaraz said.
- The pair mixed up their game with an array of trick shots
SEOUL: Carlos Alcaraz beat his great rival Jannik Sinner 7-5 7-6(8) to win their Hyundai Card Super Match exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday that marked the start of the season for the world’s top two men’s tennis players.
There was little to separate the two during the entertaining clash, with world number one Alcaraz squeaking ahead toward the end of both sets to clinch the win.
“We all need the support from the fans. So having the support and feeling the love from the people was necessary for me to perform my best and play great tennis like I did today,” Alcaraz said.
In their press conference on Friday, Sinner said the match would not be a true indicator of their levels heading into the new season and that both players would focus on entertaining spectators.
It was a promise they lived up to, as the largely light-hearted hit-around unsurprisingly lacked the intensity that has characterised their previous meetings on the sport’s biggest stages.
The pair mixed up their game with an array of trick shots and engaged in a number of memorable rallies to keep fans at the Inspire Arena on the edge of their seats, with Sinner allowing a child in the stands to play a point for him in the second set.
EXHIBITION EVENTS
It was an entertaining display from both players, who are no strangers to putting on a show at exhibition events.
Sinner and Alcaraz competed in the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh in 2024 and 2025, with the Italian winning in the final on both occasions.
Alcaraz has defended his decision to play in such lucrative events despite previously saying he would consider skipping ATP Tour events to prioritize his health in a crowded schedule, saying they provide relief from the grind of the tour.
The Spaniard has also admitted there are considerable financial incentives to playing exhibition events, saying last year the prize money on offer was a motivation for playing in the Six Kings Slam.
With the exhibition match wrapped up, the serious business starts for Sinner and Alcaraz, who will now shift their attention to the Australian Open.
The two have much at stake in the season’s opening Grand Slam, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18, with Sinner looking to win a third straight Australian Open title and Alcaraz chasing a career Grand Slam.
“It was an entertaining match, that’s why we came here and obviously now the main goal is in Australia,” Sinner said.
“At the end of the day, exhibition matches are different, you are a bit more relaxed and also entertaining the crowd a little bit more with different shots and different actions on court.”
