Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman starred respectively with bat and ball as Afghanistan thrashed Bangladesh by 25 runs in their second match of the tri-nation T20 international tournament in Dhaka on Sunday.

Nabi hit an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls under pressure to guide Afghanistan to 164-6 before Mujeeb claimed a career best of 4-15 to help his side dismiss Bangladesh for 139 in 19.5 overs for their world record 12th successive T20I win.

Mujeeb took three wickets in his opening spell to reduce the home side to 32 for four before Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman put a little resistance with 58 runs for the fifth wicket.

Gulbadin Naib broke the partnership by removing Mahmudullah, who made 44 off 39 balls for Bangladesh before Mujeeb ended Sabbir’s innings at 24 in his final over to surpass his previous best of 3-17 against Ireland.

Naib claimed 2-27 while skipper Rashid Khan and left-arm pacer Fareed Malik also took two wickets each.

Nabi earlier helped Afghanistan recover from 40-4 with his fourth T20I fifty, which featured three fours and seven sixes.

He received great support from former skipper Asghar Afghan as the duo shared 79 runs in the fifth wicket stand.

Asghar made 40 off 37 balls after he was reprieved on 31 when Sabbir took a catch at the deep only for the reply to show that bowler Taijul Islam had overstepped.

Nabi and Asghar overshadowed the bowling heroics of Mohammad Saifuddin, who claimed a career best 4-33.

"It's a team effort. Bangladesh bowled brilliantly in the powerplay and that put the pressure on us. Me and Asghar planned well and in the last five overs the plan worked," said man of the match Nabi.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan also did well with the ball to claim two wickets for just 18 runs.

"I thought we were brilliant in the first 10 overs. They scored more than 100 runs in the last 10 overs, that cost us the game. We didn't play well with the bat to chase those runs," Shakib said after the match.

Both Bangladesh and Afghanistan won their respective opening match of the tournament against Zimbabwe.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Munir Uz Zaman

Twenty-year old Rashid Khan has been appointed as Afghanistan’s new captain across all three formats, while Asghar Afghan, who was sacked as captain just before the World Cup, has been named as the team’s vice-captain.

The decision of change in the captaincy has come on the back of Afghanistan’s dismal World Cup campaign under Gulbadin Naib. Naib was named as Afghanistan’s ODI captain just before the World Cup, while Rahmat Shah was leading the side in Tests. Rashid, on the other hand, was already leading the team in T20Is, but the 20-year-old has now been given the mantle in all three formats.

@rashidkhan_19 appointed as Team Afghanistan's new Captain across all three formats while Asghar Afghan appointed as Vice-Captain. pic.twitter.com/s78Nso67aF

�Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 12, 2019

Under Naib, Afghanistan lost all of their nine World Cup fixtures. And although they came close to beating India and Pakistan, they ended their campaign with zero points.

Read | A reality check for the Afghans

Their new skipper Rashid’s first assignment as a captain will come in a one-off Test against Bangladesh in September followed by a tri-series involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. After that, Afghanistan will play a home series against West Indies (three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off Test) between November 5 and December 1.

Meanwhile, as far as Rashid’s World Cup tenure goes, he entered the tournament as cricket's hottest property after catching the eye with his leg spinners for minnows Afghanistan. But the leggie, who played a leading role for many sides in franchise cricket across the globe, claimed only six wickets in nine games.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib admits his team would benefit from the emergence of a top-class pace bowler to supplement their quality spin attack.

Naib's side, who have lost all eight of their group-stage matches, will play their last game at this year's World Cup when they face the West Indies in Leeds on Thursday.

Although Afghanistan spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are potential match-winners, Naib knows the team needs a sharper pace attack to trouble the world's best teams.

"If you look over the last two or three years, we're just depending on spinners, especially when Mujeeb joined the team," Naib said.

"We have two spinners in Rashid and Mujeeb. So, if you work on the fast bowlers in the last two or three years, maybe we have good pacers now in this tournament.

"This is a problem. We didn't find the fast bowlers' department. We all worked on the spinners, so that's why we have world-class spinners."

Naib has not given up hope that his country's talent scouts can unearth the kind of quality pace bowler he needs.

"If you find two, three, good fast bowlers, maybe it will be good for us here in the World Cup," he said.

"Hopefully in the future we can find a good fast bowler. And I'm hoping I'll be working on it."

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Glyn Kirk

Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib defended his disastrous decision to bring himself on to bowl towards the end of a gripping match against Pakistan on Saturday �a move that cost 18 runs in a single over.

Pakistan edged home by three wickets with two balls to spare at Headingley but the contest turned in the 46th over, bowled by Naib.

Spinners Mohammad Nabi (2-23), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-34) and Rashid Khan (1-50) had restricted Pakistan, who desperately needed to win to keep up their push for a semi-final place.

Pakistan, with four wickets in hand, needed 46 runs from 30 balls to win the match at the end of the 45th over but the complexion of the game was completely changed after man-of-the-match Imad Wasim smashed three fours and scrambled some more runs. Naib also bowled a wide.

Suddenly Pakistan needed just 28 runs from 24 balls and held their nerve to edge home.

Seamer Naib, who conceded 73 runs in 9.4 wicketless overs, said a hamstring injury to paceman Hamid Hassan after he had bowled just two overs was the turning point in the match.

"We had the feeling they weren't targeting every bowler," said Naib, who was controversially appointed captain in place of the successful Asghar Afghan two months before the World Cup.

"Every team has their plans and I thought the crucial point is for the 46th over that I bowled and 18 runs, it's not really good."

"If Hamid was there maybe I didn't bowl more than three or four overs because I do not have enough speed for this kind of surface," he added.

But Naib gave credit to Pakistan.

"I think the pressure was on the Pakistan side. But credit goes to them, how they played and how they finished the game," he said.

Afghanistan, who have lost all eight of their World Cup matches, play West Indies in their final match at Headingley on July 4.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

Afghanistan's Hamid Hassan felt he could have stopped Pakistan from getting over the line in a thrilling World Cup match if his one-day career hadn't come to an end with a painful injury.

Paceman Hassan, 32, could only bowl two overs before injuring his hamstring as Pakistan overcame a tense chase to beat the minnows on Saturday.

Gulbadin Naib's side, playing in their second World Cup, are winless in the 10-team group stage with one match to play.

But Hassan, who is slated to sign off his ODI career after the World Cup, said it was disappointing to hobble off the field and see his team lose again.

"Of course I was looking forward to winning the game for the team. I was playing my last ODI and in a very good mood," he said.

"I bowled very well in the first over and wanted to keep going but. I feel like it's something broken inside of my hamstring. I was very excited and pumped up."

With Hassan out of the attack, Naib decided to bring himself on in the final stages, only to give away 18 runs to Pakistan batsman Imad Wasim.

"I felt very emotional because the team missed me a lot and the ball was also reversing. The situation would have changed," said Hassan, who also played in the 2015 World Cup.

Right-arm seamer Hassan, who has claimed 59 wickets in 38 ODI matches since making his debut in 2009 for the war-torn nation, said he will continue to play Twenty20 cricket for another two years.

Afghanistan end their World Cup campaign against West Indies on July 4 in Leeds.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

As an athlete, you just can’t get away from the public criticism after a poor showing in a game which could have easily been in your kitty. For the Afghanistan captain, Gulbadin Naib, it is his turn to be in the midst of it all.

Afghanistan's bowling brilliance was in show after Pakistan’s top order had no answer to the spinning wizardry �except for Rashid Khan. Thus, Pakistan's plan of attacking the Afghan pacers was very much obvious. And after a brilliant performance with the ball early in the innings, which made it all up for their horrific showing with the bat, it was all down to the final over, with Pakistan needing six runs from as many deliveries.

In the scenario, Naib came into the action and his return has left the fans wondering whether he is worthy of the task he was given just ahead of the World Cup. Naib started his final over with an inviting full toss outside off which was followed by a missed run-out opportunity. Another full toss in the same region a delivery later prompted Imad Wasim to hit the pacer through cover for four. And that was it, the game was lost.

Former captain Asghar Afghan did everything in his power to limit the game through their reach, but an over from the Afghanistan captain was all Pakistan were waiting for in the end.

As for the fans, they were left fuming with the skipper’s return of 15 runs with the bat and 73 runs in 9.4 overs with the ball. This is how they are reacting:

Gulbadin's arrogance has single handedly cost Afghanistan their greatest ever ODI victory #PAKvAFG

�LacaJet (@ThatGuyJSR) June 29, 2019

Is Gulbadin a very selfish captain or is that my imagination? Bowls all the time, reviews unnecessarily, opens the batting.. #AFGvsPAK

�Michael Johnstone (@michaeljnrl) June 29, 2019

Gulbadin, such idiotic captaincy! Robbed us of all the fun #AFGvPAK

�Aman Sharma (@AmanKayamHai_ET) June 29, 2019

Afghanistan sacking Afghan, their captain for 4 years, and replacing him with Gulbadin on the brink of the World Cup, was remarkable. That's the sadness of Afghanistan's World Cup campaign: politics has dragged the team down, and they're performing under themselves.

�Tim (@timwig) June 29, 2019

Gulbadin u disrespected ur teams emotion.....

�Abhishek Siwam (@Cityrid) June 29, 2019

Gulbadin has this typical arrogant personality, very selfish and wants to be the center of attention. I was in shock, couldn’t let the spinners take all the credit. Now I know why the others opposed him. #CWC19

�Shakir Sadeqi (@ShakirSadeqi) June 29, 2019

Had it not been for Gulbadin’s very expensive over, Afghanistan came tantalisingly close to a win they deserved. They are absolutely incredible to have everyone shook till the end.

�DoubleM07 (@DoubleM07_) June 29, 2019

That is just not an excuse, Being a novice, oh come on, you are playing world cup.Gulbadin was chosen controversially over Nabi & Asghar as skipper at last minute..Chosing himself to bowl 46th over was a disastrous & unacceptable decision. Being novice isnt an excuse 4 stupidity

�Sreekanth Nair (@NairShreekanth) June 29, 2019

Gulbadin naib is responsible for defeat but its a game such thing happens it was his bad day & he said that he played hamid hassan overs bcoz he got injured otherwise he was not bowling today so it was Pakistan s luck today 2/2

�Faru (@sameerasr3) June 29, 2019

Considering how the Afghans politicised this match and what happened in and out of the stadium today, I am genuinely concerned about Gulbadin's safety when he goes back to Afghanistan.#PakvAfg

�Mohammad Saddozai (@MJKSaddozai) June 29, 2019

There r 2 sides to it:

Is Gulbadin a captain who wants to face difficult situations for his team himself or is a selfish one who wants to do some heroics that's why giving himself the most chances while he is less deserving in the team?#PAKvAFG

�Sagar Raja Malik (@Maliksahebb) June 29, 2019

Standard of umpiring has been a big concern in this world cup.
Afghanistan has won d the match long way. Imad was out but wasn't given by the umpires.
Gulbadin Naib is a brainless captain who lost d match bcz of his stupid captaincy.@ACBofficials #AFGvPAK #ICCCricketWorldCup2019

�Rohit Agarwal (@rohit_0312) June 29, 2019

You have to change your captain first.
He is nothing, not batsman nor bowler.
Pathetic captaincy.
I feel bad for Afghan spinner
Mujeeb,Rashid, Nabi, Shenwari#AFGvPAK #PAKvAFG #AfghanAtalan

�Gaurav Kumar (@gauravalmora) June 29, 2019

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / ICC

Pakistan kept their nerve to avoid a huge shock on Saturday, beating a spirited Afghan side by three wickets with just two balls to spare to keep their World Cup semi-final hopes alive.

All-rounder Imad Wasim hit Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib for a boundary through the covers to seal the win off the fourth ball of the last over, prompting chaotic scenes as fans poured onto the Headingley pitch.

Pakistan, chasing a modest 228-run target, were in grave danger at 156 for six in the 39th over.

But man-of-the-match Imad (49 not out) and Shadab Khan (11) put on 50 for the seventh wicket to revive their hopes.

A third consecutive victory lifts Pakistan into fourth place in the 10-team table, above hosts England, with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.

If they win their final game against Bangladesh and England fail to win both of their last two matches, against India and New Zealand, Pakistan are almost certain to progress.

"Thank you all the fans, they cheered every ball. It is a great win for us on not an easy pitch," said Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.

"We all know that it is not easy to win our last four games," he said. "We go match by match. We will all be watching India v England tomorrow."

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a World Cup-winning captain in his cricket days, tweeted his congratulations to the team for "keeping their nerve under pressure".

- Pressure -

Pakistan were in deep trouble when Sarfaraz was run out for 18 while taking a unnecessary second run, leaving Pakistan needing 72 off the last eleven overs.

They took 18 off Naib in the 46th over, which brought the target down to a manageable 28 off four overs.

Shadhab was run out for 11 with the score on 206 but Wahab Riaz (15 not out) and Imad saw Pakistan home and condemned plucky Afghanistan to an eighth consecutive defeat.

"When I went in they were bowling brilliantly but I just hung in there," said Imad. "We wanted to bat out the 50 overs and see.

"Gulbadin (Naib) was the only one who could be targeted. They have world-class spinners so we attacked him. Thank you to the crowd, it feels like home here. They gave us a boost in confidence."

Off-spinner Mohammad Nabi (2-23) had brought Afghanistan right into the game with the wickets of Imam-ul-Haq (36) and Babar Azam (45) in successive overs.

Haris Sohail laboured to 27 off 57 balls before he was lbw to leg-spinner Rashid Khan but Pakistan ultimately had enough batting firepower to see them over the line.

Earlier, lanky Afghan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi shone with the ball, returning figures of 4-47 to add to the three wickets he took against New Zealand.

"We fight really well, the boys gave 100 percent but in the end we missed an opportunity to win the match," said Afghanistan captain Naib.

"Credit to Pakistan, they controlled their nerves.

"We missed again. You can face a lot of these situations, we are working harder and harder. The matches we have lost, we have improved."

The start of the game was marred by clashes between rival fans, with police forced to intervene. Political relations between the south Asian neighbours have been marked by years of distrust and blame.

And after the match, jubilant supporters swarmed onto the pitch.

An International Cricket Council spokesman said it was working with security officials and the police "to ensure there are no further incidents".

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / CricketWorldCup

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib has reminded Pakistan of the threat posed by leg-spinner Rashid Khan ahead of their World Cup meeting on Saturday.

Rashid, third in the one-day international bowling rankings, has taken just four wickets at the tournament so far.

He returned humiliating figures of 0-110 in his nine overs against England -- the worst in the competition's history.

But Naib gave a reminder of the threat posed by the 20-year-old, whose tally of 129 ODI wickets since the end of the 2015 World Cup is bettered only by England's Adil Rashid.

Gulbadan Naib: "I think tomorrow could be Rashid Khan's day" #PAKvAFG #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/vAoBpsICEN

�Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 28, 2019

"Pakistan are a strong team and played spin very well in their last two games," Naib said.

"But Rashid is a different spinner, he's very different to other leg-spinners. It's very difficult to pick him.

"In this World Cup I don't think he's been at his best but he's given everything in terms of effort. On his day, it's very difficult for any team to deal with him."

"If it is a Rashid day, it's very difficult for anyone," added the skipper, who will be desperate for a win against Pakistan after seven defeats in seven matches.

Pakistan have shown their prowess against the turning ball in successive victories over South Africa and New Zealand that have revitalised their chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Rashid's spin twin Mujeeb Ur Rahman impressed against India and Bangladesh.

Naib revealed the 18-year-old was left out of the team to face South Africa and New Zealand due to concerns over the fluency of his bowling action but is delighted by his recent displays.

"We were worried about Mujeeb's action in the first couple of games," he explained.

"He was missing something. He went away with our coach and video analyst to work on it and he has his form and rhythm back now."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib slammed his side's sloppy fielding in their 62-run World Cup defeat against Bangladesh on Monday.

Naib's men were guilty of a series of errors- - dropping catches and committing careless misfields -- as Bangladesh scored 262-7 in Southampton.

Those blunders were worth an extra 35 runs according to the disgruntled Naib, who defended his decision to bowl first after winning the toss.

"I'm happy with the toss, but if you look at the match, we missed a couple of catches and gave some extra runs," he told reporters.

"We gave away 30, 35 runs. Because of misfielding we missed the opportunity again.

"Again, we didn't bowl in the right area in first 10 overs, and they scored like 50-something."

Afghanistan slipped to 200 all out despite Naib's 47 in a lacklustre run chase that suggested they would have been better off batting first.

Asked if it was a realistic target to chase, Naib saluted man-of-the-match Shakib Al Hasan -- who took five wickets and scored 51, saying: "If you look for the wicket, it's chasable.

"But praise goes to Shakib. He bowled really well. He's the world number one all-rounder. 

"He has a lot of experience, so he took time on the wicket when he batted. Also, he bowled really well, according to the plan."

Naib was also frustrated by the bowling and fielding of star leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

Rashid has endured a disappointing World Cup, conceding the most runs in the tournament's history against England and failing to sparkle against Bangladesh.

"He's giving his 100 percent, but if you look for the fielding side, I'm a little disappointed," Naib said.

"He's also disappointed about the fielding. One time he's very angry in the field.

"I asked him just keep relaxed and just focus on your bowling. So I think he missed his momentum there because of fielding."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Cricket World Cup

Afghanistan haven’t enjoyed a fruitful outing at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. Six defeats in as many games see them sitt at the bottom of the table, but despite all the lows, the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s chairman Azizullah Fazli has gathered all the optimism he can to outlay a pragmatic blueprint for the team.

Being there at the India-Afghanistan game, Fazli was left dazzled with the way his team approached the fixture. Despite a close 11-run defeat, Fazli had a moment to cherish given how conveniently they were close to causing arguably the biggest upset of the tournament.

But winning hearts doesn’t get you anywhere and Fazli is well and truly aware of it. Speaking about his team’s performance, he defended his players by saying it is only their second World Cup.

“This is just the second time that Afghanistan is participating in the World Cup. The first was in 2015. I am confident in the next three years our cricket will prosper even further. Afghanistan does not have enough grounds and facilities like other countries, but despite those limitations, cricket is the No. 1 sport in our country. A lot of younger players are coming through,�Azizullah Fazli told Mid-Day.

“T20 cricketer is best received in Afghanistan. I am confident that in coming years, a lot of players will seriously take up 50-over and Test cricket.�/p>

Afghanistan have struggled to get a firm footing in England thus far, and there happens to be no sign of any positives from here. Fazli, however, says that this World Cup has given his team a bigger exposure and that it will help them for the future.

“This World Cup has given us an opportunity to play against bigger teams. It will help us gain that experience. Our main focus is how to develop good domestic players for the bigger stage.

“The reason why Afghanistan are not doing well in this World Cup is because we have never played in these conditions. All our matches are played in Asia. The conditions here in England are different and that is why our performance has been affected. Our team couldn't play the full 50 overs in the World Cup, except against England. Our efforts are to have matches in England, Australia and New Zealand so that we can get enough experience of playing in those conditions.�/p>

The Afghanistan Cricket Board came in the midst of heavy backlash after Asghar Afghan was stripped off from his captaincy. The decision was made just ahead of the World Cup, which saw some of the senior members being vocal about it on the social media. Talking about the issue, Fazli added, “Because we changed the captain [Asghar Afghan to Gulbadin Naib], we got new ideas to come into the World Cup. I know very well what is required for our cricket and when. Our effort is to improve our cricket all the time. Yes, it is right that just before the World Cup [we changed our captain], but that player is still a part of the team. My effort was to give young talent an opportunity especially since they will play big teams like England, India and Australia. It is a major learning experience. They will not get this experience in domestic games. We respect what Asghar has done for our cricket when he was captain for four years. 

“In the 2015 World Cup, we beat Ireland. And in this World Cup, we beat Pakistan [in the warm-ups]. We are scoring more runs than what we did in 2015. Our cricket is improving steadily.

“I have requested all international players, current and present, to comment on Afghanistan cricket only after knowing our culture and exact facts of the matter. It saddens me that they are only talking about in-fighting and controversies about Afghanistan rather than highlighting the fact that in such a short time we are playing our second World Cup. We need everyone's support.�/p>

Another controversy rounded off when their head coach had an outburst on Twitter against the chief selectors Speaking about it, Fazli said, “I don't know what made the coach tweet that. It is entirely his decision to do that. His job is to focus on the team's performance and not focus on the politics of the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

“It is an internal matter of the Board. He has no business to interfere in that as a coach. We have requested all our coaches to just focus on their task of bettering team performance and develop our players. They shouldn't involve themselves in commenting over which selector is good or bad.

“If they don't like anything, they should resign and go. The culture in every team is very different from each other. The culture in Afghanistan is different from West Indies. What our chief selector [Dawlat Ahmadzai] spoke in the media was in Pashto, which he [Simmons] does not even understand. It has not been translated correctly [in English] and the tweet has also been deleted.�/p>

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Cricket World Cup