Azmatullah Omarzai Stars as Afghanistan Beat Bangladesh ODI

Abu Dhabi: Azmatullah Omarzai delivered a masterclass in both batting and bowling to lead Afghanistan to a commanding five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the opening ODI of their three-match series on Wednesday.

After being handed the ball first, Afghanistan struck early blows. Omarzai claimed two crucial wickets in the opening overs, dismissing Tanzid Hasan (10) and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (2), leaving Bangladesh reeling. Rashid Khan added to the pressure by removing Saif Hassan for 26, restricting the hosts’ momentum.

Tawhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan resisted with a 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but their effort ended when Hridoy was run out by Hashmatullah Shahidi for 54. Mehidy Hasan soon followed, trapped lbw by Rashid for 60, and Bangladesh collapsed to 221 in 48 overs. Omarzai finished with impressive figures of 3 for 40.

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Afghanistan’s chase started positively with openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz adding 50 runs in nine overs. Tanvir Islam struck by removing Zadran (23), and Sediqullah Atal fell for 5, putting pressure back on the visitors.

The innings was steadied by a vital 59-run partnership between captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Omarzai. Omarzai remained composed under pressure, contributing 40 off 44 balls before Mohammad Nabi guided Afghanistan to victory with 17 balls remaining, leaving the team 5 wickets up at the finish.

The day also marked a milestone for Rashid Khan, who became the first Afghan bowler to surpass 200 ODI wickets. He concluded the match with figures of 3 for 38, taking his career tally to 202 wickets in 115 matches at an economy of 4.23.

Afghanistan will aim to build on this momentum in the second ODI, scheduled at the same venue on October 11, seeking to seal the series with another strong performance.