Chattogram sun shines for Afghan openers as Bangladesh need to chase record-breaking target

Rahmanullah Gurbaz slaughtered Bangladeshi bowlers for fun and broke records left and right as long as was at the crease on Saturday at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS). He looked "hungry for runs", as he said in the mid-innings interview. It is safe to say Bangladesh's bowling was toothless for the most part of Afghanistan's batting and Gurbaz along with Ibrahim Zadran made full use of it. 

Both the openers scored hundreds, but Gurbaz was more ferocious. His career-best 145 runs of 125 balls consisted of 13 boundaries and eight maximums at a strike rate of 116. He hit boundaries all over the ground much to the delight of a bunch of Afghanistan fans in the stand. 

"After three-four failures, I was hungry for a big score. I always try to score, luck was against me. Today luck was with me. I always enjoy my batting. It was a good batting pitch," Gurbaz said after his blistering fourth ODI hundred.

Zadran too was impressive on his way to a fourth ODI hundred. He anchored the innings and bagged 100 off 119 balls at a strike rate of 84. 

This was the sixth time both the openers got hundreds against Bangladesh. 

The opening duo put up a mammoth partnership of 256 runs, Afghanistan's highest-ever in ODI cricket. They went past Mohammad Shahzad and Karim Sadiq's 218* against Scotland in 2010. This is also the second-highest opening stand in Bangladesh, only behind 292 put on by Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das against Zimbabwe in Sylhet in 2020.  

Gurbaz and Ibrahim's partnership was the longest one in terms of balls faced (217 balls) against Bangladesh in Bangladesh in the first innings. This was the first time Bangladesh failed to get a wicket inside 30 overs bowling first in a home ODI.

Bangladesh bowlers conceded 33 extras which could prove costly for them. Extras more often than not play a vital part in the match. A recent example would be the ongoing Ashes where England conceded more extra runs than Australia (118 compared to Australia's 58) and ended up in the losing side. 

But Bangladesh fought back strongly. Record man Shakib Al Hasan broke the opening duo in the 37th over claiming his 400th international wicket at home and became the first left-arm off-spinner to do so. Afghanistan lost their way afterwards. They managed to add only 75 runs in the remaining 13.5 overs.

Four bowlers  - Shakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud and Mehidy Hasan Miraz - bagged a brace each. Shakib was the most economical of them all giving away 50 runs in his 10 overs. Mustafiz and Miraz both conceded 60 runs while Hasan Mahmud gave away 70.