Shakib credits bowlers for fight back despite heavy defeat
AFP
|| CF DESK ||
Shanto takes full responsibility for Bangladesh’s defeat
6 hrs ago
Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan has hailed his bowlers for fighting back after they post a small total on board against Afghanistan in their opening Asia Cup match.
Najibullah Zadran's batting blitz and "world class" spinners powered Afghanistan into the Asia Cup Super-Four stage with a seven-wicket win at Sharjah Tuesday.
Chasing 128 for victory, Afghanistan were in trouble at 62-3 when Najibullah (43 not out) joined Ibrahim Zadran (42 not out) for an unbeaten stand of 69 as they won with nine balls to spare in Sharjah.
Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 11 when Shakib, playing his 100th T20 international, had the opener stumped with his left-arm spin.
Ireland cancels Afghanistan series due to budget constraints
12 Mar 25
"It was always tough when you lose four wickets in the first seven, eight overs. But I thought the bowlers bowled exceptionally well to get us back into the game," said Shakib in the presentation.
Shakib credited left-handed Najibullah, who finished with a flurry of sixes and one four in his 17-ball blitz.
"Credit to Afghanistan though they played really well. We know that Najibullah is a dangerous player. On a wicket like this we thought we had the game, but credit to how they batted" Shakib added.
Afghanistan, led by Mohammad Nabi, registered their second straight victory to become the first of the six teams to reach the next phase of the competition, which acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November.
"Everyone knows Rashid and Mujeeb are world class spinners, that's why we were in the game in the first 10 overs," said an elated Nabi.
"We were ahead of the game because we got early wickets. Everyone knows we have power hitters in the death. That's why we made sure not to lose early wickets, so that our power hitters could finish the game."
![Shoaib Malik [L] and Rishad Hossain](https://cricfrenzy.com/public/storage/images/4-2025/cf_HvFVz9L8.jpg)
