Bangladesh were bowled out for 160 in 41.2 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat first in Sharjah on Wednesday. Afghanistan chased down the target in just 35.3 overs, winning by seven wickets with 87 balls to spare to book their place in the final against Zimbabwe.
“As a batting unit, we made mistakes. At the beginning, we lost a couple of wickets. I think that was the main reason,” Hridoy said after the match.
Bangladesh lost Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar for just six runs before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Hridoy departed cheaply, leaving the team struggling at 28 for four inside seven overs.
Parvez Hossain Emon and Saif Hassan attempted to rebuild the innings with a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Emon top-scored with 70 off 96 balls, while Saif contributed 41, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to provide meaningful support.
Hridoy stressed that Bangladesh must improve their performance at the top of the order to post competitive totals.
“We need to score runs at the top. Otherwise, you cannot sustain. So we will work on it. We can learn a lot of things, to be very honest,” he said.
The Bangladesh captain also felt his side missed a significant opportunity to put pressure on Afghanistan, believing the pitch was good enough for a much higher score.
“To be honest, we missed 100 runs. That wicket was a very good wicket, a decent one to bat on. So, as I mentioned earlier, we need to score runs at the top and put up a big score,” Hridoy added.
Afghanistan’s bowlers made the most of Bangladesh’s collapse, with Rashid Khan claiming four wickets for 31 runs. Yamin Ahmadzai and Azmatullah Omarzai picked up two wickets apiece to restrict Bangladesh to a below-par total.
Although Bangladesh managed to remove Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran during the chase, captain Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 67 and Hashmatullah Shahidi’s 38 not out guided Afghanistan to a comfortable victory.
Beyond their batting struggles, Hridoy acknowledged that Bangladesh also needed to improve in the field. He remained hopeful, however, that the team could address those shortcomings before the upcoming Asia Cup at home.
“As a batting unit, even in terms of fielding, we need to improve in some areas. We have time. Hopefully, we will overcome these issues and we have the Asia Cup at home, so we will bounce back,” he said.
The defeat brought Bangladesh’s tri-series campaign to an end, leaving the team with lessons to address before their next assignment.
