Shakib leads Bangladesh to T20 series sweep over Afghanistan with 6-wicket win

Shakib leads Bangladesh to T20 series sweep over Afghanistan with 6-wicket win

SYLHET, July 16: Shakib Al Hasan put in a captain’s performance to help Bangladesh sweep the two-match cricket Twenty20 series against Afghanistan with a six-wicket win under the DLS method on Sunday.

Shakib returned figures of 2-15 in three overs before scoring an unbeaten 18 as Bangladesh successfully chased its target of 119 in 17 overs in the rain-hit second T20 international. The hosts finished on 119-4 with five balls to spare.

Shamim Hossain (7 not out) pulled debutant Wafadar Momand for a boundary to confirm Bangladesh’s first T20 series win against Afghanistan.

The match was reduced to 17 overs after rain halted the game for more than an hour and Afghanistan put up 116-7.

Shakib won the toss and chose to field. Bangladesh led the series following its two-wicket win in the first match, overcoming a dramatic last-over hat trick by Karim Janat.

Bangladesh had made two changes from that game with batter Afif Hossain and pace bowler Hasan Mahmud replacing Rony Talukdar and Shoriful Islam. Afghanistan made one change, bringing in pacer Momand in place of Farid Ahmad. Afghanistan lost a one-off test between the sides by a record 546-run margin, before winning the three-match ODI series 2-1. (AP)