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Rashid spins Tigers to defeat

Sports Reporter from Dehradun
Long before yesterday's first T20I between Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Dehradun, the buzz surrounding the three-match series centred on Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the world's number one T20I bowler. The buzz proved to be well founded because the 19-year-old Rashid laid Bangladesh's middle order to waste as Afghanistan romped to a 45-run win over their more experienced opponents at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium last night.
Rashid - who flummoxed the world's best batsmen in the recently concluded Indian Premier League -was held back shrewdly by Afghan skipper Asghar Stanikzai till the 11th over of Bangladesh's chase of Afghanistan's 167 for eight Shrewd, however was not the word to describe experienced Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who decided to reverse sweep the first ball from the opposition's trump card and lost his off stump. At 79 for three before that brain-freeze, Bangladesh were still in with a chance. However, Mushfiqur's dismissal was followed immediately by that of Sabbir Rahman, who was all at sea against a fast Rashid googly and was trapped in front next ball for a golden duck.
A golden duck was also the fate of opener Tamim Iqbal - having returned from England just the previous day from his World XI duties - as he was trapped in front by Afghanistan's other spin terror Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the first ball of the chase. Shakib had followed soon after, caught off a skied slog sweep off Mohammad Nabi in the fourth over. Opener Liton Das offered brief hope by top-scoring with a 20-ball 30 but he was third out in the eighth over, trapped in front
trying to reverse-sweep Nabi. He was a touch unlucky as replays showed the ball striking outside off stump, but there are no reviews for this series.
There was still hope, however, with Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah at the crease. It was all but extinguished by Mushfiqur's moment of madness, and a slow 29-run sixth-wicket partnership between Mosaddek Hossain (14 off 23 balls) and Mahmudullah notwithstanding, Bangladesh were always goingto fall short.
It was however a surprise just how short they fell. Rashid returned in the 17th over to have Mosaddek - beset with the need to score 60 runs from 21 balls - holing out at long on, giving the leg-spinner superb figures of three for 13 from three overs. That wicket left Bangladesh at 108 for six and they could add just 14 runs as left-arm pacer Shapoor Zadran bowled Abul Hasan and Rubel Hossain, breaking the leg stump while dismissing the latter. In between, he had Mahmudullah caught at backward point for a 25-ball 29. Off the last ball of the 19th over and with the score reading 122 for nine, pacer Karim Jannat ended the Tigers' misery when last man Abu Jayed spooned a catch to cover, where none other than a leaping Rashid snaffled a catch to his left, neatly tying the knot on a player-of-
the-match performance.
Earlier, Bangladesh were first set on a leather chase, then pulled things back, before again leaking runs at the end as Afghanistan finished on a competitive 167 for eight.
From 91 for four after 14 overs, Afghanistan plundered 76 runs in the last six overs as Bangladesh's inexperienced bowling was badly exposed. Rookie pacer Jayed was taken for 20 runs by Samiullah Shenwari in the 18th over and Abul Hasan conceded three sixes - two from Shafiqullah and one from Rashid - in the last over.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan called rightly at the toss and chose to field, but Afghanistan openers Mohammad Shahzad and Usman Ghani put on a 62-run opening stand in just 8.3 overs.
Pacer Rubel Hossain started turning the tide by clean-bowling Ghani for 26 in the ninth over and then Shakib, after dropping Shahzad off his own bowling in the 12th over, got the portly opener caught at point off a reverse sweep for 40. Part-time off-spinner Mahmudullah then took two wickets in the 14th over -- having Najibullah Zadran caught and bowling Mohammad Nabi -- to have Afghanistan on 91 for four before a mixture of inept Bangladeshi bowling and brave hitting gave them the decisive edge.