Tigers reach 100th win, seal series

Bangladesh recorded their 100th win in one day internationals when they thumped Afghanistan by 141 runs and took 3-match series 2-1 at Mirpur stadium.

Tamim was adjudged the man of the series as well as the man of the match for his 118 today.

Shafiul Islam took the last Afghan wicket, that too in the 34 th over when Dawlat Zadran was undone by a slower delivery.

The last nails on the Afghan coffin were hammered in the 33rd over bowled by Mosaddek Hossain when the visitors lost their 8th and 9th wicket. Najibullah Zadran was caught at first slip by Sabbir after he scored 26 from 19 balls.

Afghan leggie Rashid Khan was sent back to the pavilion in the 33rd over when he was run out. The direct hit at the non-striker's end found the batsman short and the third umpire ruled in Bangladesh's favour.

Things got worse for Afghans when they lost their seventh wicket in the 26 over. Mosharraf came back into the attack, caught and bowled Mohammad Nabi for three. The ball held up slightly on the pitch as Nabi tried to push at it, but only got a leading edge to the bowler.

Afghanistan found the going really tough when Rahmat Shah became Taskin's first victim of the match. Rahmat tried to pull but the ball got big on him. The top-edge was easily pouched at mid-wicket by Nasir Hossain.

Bangladesh have Afghanistan on the mat, time to go for the kill…

Bangladesh were all over the visitors as the Afghan chase took another hit in the 23rd over when Samiullah Shenwari became the fifth batsmen to fall under the lights at Mirpur.

The short ball from Taskin reared up on Shenwari. The batter tried to hook, got into an awkward position and only managed to glove the ball to Mushfiqur.

Afghan captain Asghar Stanikzai was the fourth wicket to fall when he was run out in the 17th over. Shakib fielded the ball and threw in a single motion. The throw was too good for Asghar and his team looked all at sea as wickets tumbled.

Bangladesh spinner Mosharraf Hossain rocked Afghanistan in the 14 over when he sent back Hashmatullah Shahidi and Nawroz Mangal to the delight of his teammates.

Coming back into international cricket after a gap of eight years, Mosharraf bowled with good control and didn't allow the Afghan batters anything loose. Shahidi lasted only three balls as his shot to release the pressure only brought his downfall.

Mosharraf got Nawroz when the batsman was trapped in front after scoring 33. Nawroz faced 38 balls and struck four boundaries.

Afghans reeling…

Afghanistan were rocked early in their chase when Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza sent back the dangerous Mohammad Shahzad with a brilliant delivery.

Shahzad didn't move his feet much to the ball that pitched outside off. Shahzad looked to work across the line, left a big gap between bat and pad and was bowled for a seven-ball duck.

Earlier, Bangladesh managed to score 279 for 8 in 50 overs against Afghanistan in the series-deciding match thanks to Tamim's record ton and a responsible knock from Sabbir.

Mashrafe Mortaza was the last Bangladeshi wicket to fall when he was out in the last over bowled by Mirwais Ashraf.

Mosharraf Hossain struggled to time the ball when he was at the wicket, made four painful runs from 14 balls and was dismissed by Mohammad Nabi in the 48 over.

Bangladesh lost their sixth wicket in the 44th over. Young Mosaddek Hossain was brilliantly stumped by Mohammad Shahzad for four runs. The batter's foot came out of the crease and the Afghan wicketkeeper whipped the bails off in a jiffy.

Mushfiqur Rahim was the fifth batsmen dismissed for Bangladesh when he was sent back by the Afghan leggie Rashid Khan. Mushy made 12 before he misread the googly and was trapped in front.

Bangladesh suffered a body blow in the 43rd over when Shakib Al Hasan was dismissed for 17 by Dawlat Zadran. He was the fourth wicket to fall for Tigers.

Mohammad Nabi gave his team the vital wicket in the 39th over to bring back Afghanistan into the match. He enticed Tamim for a big-shot, Tamim obliged but could not clear the fielder at long-off.

The southpaw from Chittagong became the highest century-maker in ODIs when he reached three figures. He now has seven, one more than Shakib Al Hasan.

Tamim left the field after scoring 118 from 158 balls. He hammered 11 fours and two sixes to the delight of the Mirpur crowd. 

When things looked like going out of hand for the visitors, Rahmat Shah gave Afghanistan a crucial breakthrough when he sent back Sabbir Rahman in the 31st over.

Sabbir scored 65 from 79 with six fours and three massive sixes to his name. The second wicket partnership of 140 runs in 24.4 overs gave Bangladesh lower-order power-hitters the ideal platform to open their shoulders in the powerplay overs.

The 100-run stand between Tamim Iqbal and Sabbir Rahman in 19 overs gave Tigers a solid platform to accelerate with wickets in hand. Both batters played more aggressively as the partnership blossomed.

Tamim brought up his 34th ODI fifty in 63 balls as he continued to delight the fans with a flurry of boundaries.

Bangladesh recovered after the loss of the early wicket as Tamim and Sabbir Rahman settled down and played sensibly. Both were keen to rotate the strike, and made sure the bad balls didn't go unpunished.

The fifty-run stand for the second wicket in less than 10 overs kept the Afghan bowlers at bay and gave the Bangladesh fans something to cheer about.

Soumya Sarkar slashed at a slightly wide delivery from Mirwais Ashraf in the sixth over, and only got an edge to the keeper Mohammad Shahzad. Soumya made 11 at a run-a-ball.

During the first wicket stand of 23 in 5.5 overs, Afghan bowlers, especially Mohammad Nabi didn't allow the batters to get away, and bowled a tight line throughout his spell.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was reprieved in the third over when Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai drops a sitter at mid-on.

Tamim tried to pull, the ball got big on him and he miscued his shot badly. The top edge spooned towards mid-on where Asghar made a howler he won't forget soon.

Tigers captain Mashrafe Mortaza opted to bat first after winning the toss in the series-deciding third and final ODI against Afghanistan led by Asghar Stanikzai at Mirpur Stadium.

Clear, sunny day expected at Mirpur with the pitch likely to play a lot slower. Consequently, spinners are going to enjoy the conditions more than the pacers and the batsmen will have to work hard for their runs.

The quarterfinal berth in the World Cup 2015 down under and the series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa helped the Tigers catapult themselves into their best ever position in world cricket.

However, nearly 11 months later Bangladesh are in a bit of a pickle. A fortified territory that some of the world's best teams could not breach last year is now in danger of collapsing against the most unexpected of opponents -- Afghanistan.  

If the Afghans manage to win the third ODI today, they will have done something India, Pakistan and South Africa could not in the last one-and-a-half years: beat Bangladesh at home.

In 2014, the Afghan team defeated Bangladesh in an Asia Cup game to catch the attention of the cricketing world. Now, the eyes are on them again and if they can wrap up the series.

21-year-old Hashmatullah Shahidi knows that if Afghanistan are to create history today, the visitors will need to improve their finishing.

The only Test team that they have ever beaten in a series is Zimbabwe. When asked if winning a series against Bangladesh would be the biggest achievement in Afghanistan's cricketing history so far, a confident Shahidi replied, "Yeah. It will be!"

"It's the first time we are playing against Bangladesh in their home and it will not be the last time, inshallah. Our plan is to play good cricket against each team. Not only Bangladesh but against other Test nations as well. Hopefully we can win matches in the future as well," said Shahidi during the pre-match press conference in Mirpur.

"Everyone knows Bangladesh is one of the best sides in the world, especially at home. They beat big teams like South Africa, India and Pakistan. We already feel better [after beating Bangladesh].

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Mosharraf Hossain, Shafiul Islam and Taskin Ahmed

Afghanistan

Mohammad Shahzad (Wicketkeeper), Nawroz Mangal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Samiullah Shenwari, Asghar Stanikzai (Captain), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Mirwais Ashraf and Dawlat Zadran