Bangladesh suffer biggest defeat by runs and first-ever whitewash against Afghanistan

Bangladesh were on the brink of being whitewashed after losing the first two matches. At that point, there was only one thing left to do — to give it their all. But the end of this poor series turned out to be just as disappointing. Yesterday, while chasing a target of 294, Bangladesh were bowled out for just 93 runs in 27.1 overs, losing by a massive margin of 200 runs. In terms of runs, this is Bangladesh's heaviest defeat against Afghanistan. The previous biggest loss was by 142 runs, in Chattogram in 2023.

With this thumping victory, Afghanistan also completed a whitewash over Bangladesh — the first time Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Co have suffered such a fate against them in this format.

Bangladesh had scored 221 and 109 in the first two matches. On the same pitch in Abu Dhabi, chasing 294 was always going to be a daunting task for the Bangladeshi batters. The chase became hopeless when the team collapsed to 81 for 8. The same old problems resurfaced — fragile batting techniques, poor shot selection, and above all, a lack of fighting spirit.

Despite repeated failures in international cricket, Mohammad Naim was once again given a chance in the playing XI. He added 35 runs for the opening stand with Saif Hassan before falling for 7. What followed was the familiar collapse under pressure, with batters coming and going in quick succession. Before becoming Rashid Khan's fourth victim, Saif Hassan top-scored with 43 off 54 balls, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes. Before him, Naim (7), Shanto (3), and Hridoy all departed cheaply. And after Saif's dismissal, the rest of the batting lineup folded in single digits — Miraz, Shamim, Sohan, Tanvir, and Rishad scoring 6, 0, 2, 5, and 4 respectively. The last two batters, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, scored 9 and 2* runs.

With the ball, Bilal Sami was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 5 wickets for 33 runs, while Rashid Khan took 3 wickets for just 12.

Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan posted 293 for 9.

Opener Ibrahim Zadran laid the foundation for a big total with a 95-run innings off 111 balls, while veteran Mohammad Nabi's blistering 62 off 37 balls — featuring 4 fours and 5 sixes — powered Afghanistan past 290.

For Bangladesh, Saif Hassan, who was also their top scorer with the bat, turned out to be the most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for just 6 runs.