5 talking points from the Bangladesh-Afghanistan ODI series
The recently concluded 3-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan played at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur came to an end with a 2-1 victory for the hosts. However, the Afghans, to their credit, fought hard throughout and did not allow the home team to dominate the series.
After the Bangladeshis managed to grab a tense win in the first match by just 7 runs, the visitors made a comeback by registering a 2-wicket win to level the ODI series 1-1. Bangladesh finally came into their own in the final game and trounced Afghanistan by 141 runs to claim the series.
There are a number of talking points that emerged from the series based on the performances of both teams and their players. Here are 5 of the primary ones:
#1 Tamim Iqbal’s ominous form
Tamim Iqbal did his reputation of being the best batsman ever from Bangladesh no harm at all by scoring big runs in the ODI series against Afghanistan. Apart from the 2nd ODI, where he was dismissed for 20, the southpaw top-scored for his team with 80 and 118 in the 1st and 3rd match respectively.
During his knock in the 1st ODI, Iqbal became the only cricketer from his country to score 9000 runs in international cricket (including all 3 formats). The experienced Bangladeshi batsman finished the series with a tally of 218 runs at a very healthy average of 72.66 and a strike in excess of 86.
Considering the way Tamim Iqbal is batting at present, it may not come as a surprise to see him pile on the runs for Bangladesh in the coming months and years.