Mehidy Hasan Miraz stars as Bangladesh open World Cup campaign with 6-wicket win over Afghanistan

Mehidy Hasan Miraz starred for Bangladesh, picking three wickets and hitting 57, as Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by six wickets in their ODI World Cup opener in Dharamsala.

Electing to bowl first after winning the toss at the beautiful Dharamsala Cricket Ground, Bangladesh leaked early runs, conceding 47 before picking the first wicket inside the ninth over. Rahmat Shah and Rahmanullah Gurbaz added a few more runs to hold Afghanistan’s honourbefore the cluster of wickets staged their downfall.

Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi contributed with some runs before Bangladeshi bowlers broke their backbone with swift strikes. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan and all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz were the protagonists in bowling, picking six wickets. Both returned with three wickets each.

From 112 for three at one stage, Afghanistan’s batting tumbled', as their innings got wrapped up on a mere 156. Besides veteran Mahmudullah, each bowler picked a wicket as Bangladesh made light work of their Asian counterparts.

In the absence of regular opener Tamim Iqbal, young Tanzid Hasan opened alongside Litton Das. The pair departed early within the first six overs as Afghanistan looked upbeat to cause the first upset of the tournament.

That situation escalated quickly as the batting pair of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the man in-form Najmul Shanto took over the proceedings and the game away from Afghanistan. While Shanto deployed a defensive approach, Mehidy, who was tipped to open ahead of Tanzid, completed his fifty with four boundaries.

Shanto completed his maiden CWC fifty as against one of the most beautiful backdrops in the cricketing world, Bangladesh opened their account with a massive win by six wickets in Dharamsala.

Bangladesh happy with Mehidy's rise

Mehidy’s rise to the top comes as a boost for Bangladesh, who, for the longest time, didn’t have a backup for veteran Shakib Al Hasan in the white-ball setup. With Mehidy shinning across batting and bowling, Bangladesh’s chances of surpassing their previous best-winning tally in the World Cups are higher.

With a strong team at the helm, including a star-studded bowling line-up and the return of several big names like Mahmudullah, Bangladesh can beat any top-ranked side in this tournament.

While Bangladesh’s next encounter is against defending champions England at the very ground three days later, Afghanistan will take on hosts India on October 11 in Delhi.

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