Bangladesh’s batting woes continue to haunt them—across formats and age groups. The U-19 side missed a golden opportunity to seal the series against Afghanistan U-19 after suffering back-to-back batting failures, and now the young tigers are staring at a possible series defeat. Bangladesh is facing series defeat after another batting collapse.
On Friday (7 November) at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, Afghanistan posted 258 runs after being bowled out in 49.3 overs. In reply, Bangladesh managed 211 for 9 in the full 50 overs, losing the match by 47 runs and falling behind 2–1 in the five-match series.
Bangladesh’s chase fell apart almost immediately. The top order crumbled to 40 for 6, with batters repeatedly walking in and out. Among the first five batters, only two reached double figures—Rifat Beg (10 off 9) and Jawad Abrar (10 off 6).
From the rubble, Mohammad Abdullah and Debashish Sarkar Deba attempted a rescue act, putting together a vital 98-run partnership. Debashish scored a fighting 51 off 61, but his dismissal broke the stand. Abdullah battled until the final over, top-scoring with 95 off 160 balls, but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.
For Afghanistan, Abdul Aziz Khan claimed 4 wickets.
Earlier, after opting to bat, Afghanistan also struggled except for two standout performers. Faisal Shinozada smashed a brilliant 112 off 116 balls, while Uzairullah Nezarai added a valuable 72 off 100. No other batter crossed 20.
Bangladesh’s bowlers performed well, led by Iqbal Hossain Imon, who took a superb 6 for 51. Sad Islam grabbed 2 wickets, and Swadhin Islam took 1.
With two matches remaining, Bangladesh must win both to avoid a series loss.
