Batting first in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh reached 154 for 5, with opener Tanzid Hasan leading the way with a brisk 52 off 31 balls.
In reply, Afghanistan were bundled out for 146, as spinners Nasum and Rishad Hossain grabbed two wickets apiece before Mustafizur Rahman’s 3 for 28 sealed the contest. Taskin Ahmed also chipped in with two wickets, including the last one off the final delivery.
Bangladesh concluded the group stage with two wins and a loss from their three matches. Their Super Four qualification now hinges on Thursday’s clash between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
A Sri Lankan win would send Bangladesh through, while an Afghan victory would push them ahead and leave Bangladesh and Sri Lanka separated by net run rate.
Nasum struck with the very first ball of the Afghan chase, trapping Sediqullah Atal lbw, and later removed Ibrahim Zadran for five, finishing with outstanding figures of 2 for 11 in four overs.
Rishad then accounted for Gulbadin Naib (16) with a return catch and dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 35 to put Afghanistan under pressure.
Azmatullah Omarzai gave hope with three sixes in a 16-ball 30 but fell to Taskin, while captain Rashid Khan’s quick 20 was cut short by Mustafizur, who nearly claimed a hat-trick in the same over.
Earlier, Tanzid and Saif Hasan (30) set a solid platform with an opening partnership of 63, including 59 runs in the powerplay.
Rashid broke the stand by bowling Saif in his first over, and Noor Ahmad dented Bangladesh further by trapping Litton Das lbw for nine and later removing Tanzid soon after his 28-ball fifty.
Towhid Hridoy added a handy 26 from 20 deliveries, but with only 67 runs coming in the final 10 overs, Bangladesh seemed short. However, their bowlers ensured the total was just enough to clinch victory.
Group B scenario:
If Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will qualify.
If Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka, then all three teams — Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — will be tied on four points. Afghanistan will qualify automatically, while the second spot will depend on Net Run Rate (NRR) between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
For Sri Lanka’s NRR to drop below Bangladesh, they would need to lose by around 70 runs or with 50 balls to spare against Afghanistan.
