Asia Cup 2018, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan: Top 3 talking points as Rashid Khan stuns The Tigers

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20^th birthday in some fashion as he powered Afghanistan to a dominant 136-win victory in the Asia Cup group B match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Rashid Khan smashed a brilliant 57 off just 32 deliveries to take his team to a competitive 255 for 7. Rashid alongside Gulbadin Naib scored 95 runs for the eighth wicket.

Later in the second innings, Rashid Khan produced a premium bowling performance by picking up 2 wickets in 9 overs by giving a mere 13 runs at an economy of 1.44. His bowling figures included 3 maidens.  

Let us take a look at top 3 talking points from Bangladesh and Afghanistan:

Rashid Khan – a golden birthday gift

Rashid Khan has already impressed the whole world with his quality and talent, and he is always there for his team when they need him the most. Rashid, who was celebrating his 20^th birthday, smashed a powerful half-century (57*) with eight fours and two maximums. He built a record eighth-wicket stand for the Afghans in ODIs and later produced the exceptional figures of 9-3-13-2 while bowling.

Shakib Al Hasan – a consistent performer at the top level

Bangladesh all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan scalped four wickets for The Tigers as he dismissed the big name – Mohammad Shahzad – who was on his way to score big. Shakib went on to bamboozle the Afghanistan middle-order to become the best bowler for Bangladesh in the match.

Rashid Khan – Gulbadin Naib – a memorable partnership

Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib added a game-changing 95-run partnership for the eighth wicket in the final ten overs. Taking Afghanistan to a competitive 255 after they were struggling for 160 for 7 at one stage sums up their superlative batting effort that consisted lot of boundaries.

Rashid scored 57 runs off 32 balls with eight fours and two sixes while Gulbadin smashed five boundaries in the memorable 95-run partnership.

Afghanistan win by 136 runs!

That is an absolute thumping, and an exquisite team bowling performance, with six bowlers taking a wicket and no one claiming more than two.#BANvAFG SCORE ➡️ https://t.co/lrwXpuwMMb#AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/qEe7Xqbb6Y

— ICC (@ICC) September 20, 2018

Afghanistan is set to play Pakistan today (September 21) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in the Super Four match, while India lock horns with Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.