Miraz, Shanto - From run out to runs sprout

Mehidy Hasan Miraz had to sacrifice his wicket after a misunderstanding with an on-song Najmul Hossain Shanto on Thursday. It was quite uncharacteristic of the pair as they have been friends for a long time and played two Under-19 World Cups together.

On Sunday, both of them had to bat out of their positions. Miraz opened the batting for the first time since the 2018 Asia Cup final. Shanto batted at number four for the first time in ODIs. But they turned up the heat in hot and humid conditions, motivated each other and buried the demons of the ODI series loss earlier this year. 

Shanto and Miraz batted together 21 times in Youth ODIs and are the third-most prolific Bangladeshi pair at the U-19 level. Against Afghanistan, they forged a partnership of 194, the highest for any wicket for Bangladesh in the history of the Asia Cup.

This was the fifth time two Bangladeshi batters got hundreds in an ODI.

On a flat deck that didn't offer any bounce or swing, Afghanistan opening bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struggled initially for accuracy. Mohammad Naim and Miraz enjoyed themselves on a batting-friendly pitch. 

Farooqi was off-colour on a pitch that didn't offer swing and bowled a host of loose balls. Naim (28 off 32) smashed four boundaries off Farooqi. The southpaw looked set for his first big ODI score but had no answer to a brilliant googly from Mujeeb. Before getting dismissed, he added a run-a-ball 60 with Miraz.

Towhid Hridoy was surprisingly sent in at three but the youngster failed to bother the scorers as the ball went straight to slip as a result of a failed drive. Gulbadin Naib accounted for his wicket.

Bangladesh were in a spot of bother after losing two wickets even before Afghanistan's best bowler Rashid Khan came into the attack. 

The duo of Shanto and Miraz was calculative in approach as they didn't take much risk against the spin trio and attacked Farooqi and the two part-time seamers - Naib and Karim Janat. 

Miraz initially struggled to score freely off the spinners but a six off Mohammad Nabi in the 22nd over and a four off Rashid in the next over got him going. The right-hander got to his fifty off 67 deliveries.

Shanto looked the more fluent of the two as he continued his good work from the previous game. He was severe, particularly on Fazalhaq Farooqi as he hit the left-arm seamer for a cracking six to bring up his fifty.

They complemented each other pretty well too and frustrated the Afghanistan captain, so much so that he made five bowling changes in a space of nine overs at one stage. 

They upped the ante after the second drinks break and were well-placed at 231 for two at the 40-over mark. 

Miraz's second fifty came off 48 balls as he anchored Bangladesh's innings with a 115-ball hundred. 

Miraz (112 off 119) hit a four and a six then before retiring hurt as he apparently suffered from cramps in his hands. Before walking off, he added 194 off 190 with Miraz for the third wicket.

Shanto (104 off 105) notched up his second ODI hundred soon after that. It came off 101 deliveries. But he was unfortunate to get run out as he slipped midway on the pitch in an attempt to take a single. 

Mushfiqur Rahim hit a boundary and a six each in his cameo of 25 off 15 before becoming the second batter of the day to get run out.

Shamim Hossain, in at six, hit a no-look six off Naib in his first-ever delivery in ODI cricket. 

Shakib too played an effective cameo of 32* off 18. 

Miraz's celebration featured the desperation to prove a point, the pain of dealing with cramps and the relief of hitting a century. Shanto was more subdued in his celebration as he threw a flying kiss and brought out a baby-rocking celebration, dedicating the hundred to his newborn son. Both of them got their second hundred in ODIs and the fans will hope to see them take the baton from the veterans and have great careers in future.