BAN v AUS: Bangladesh's Afif Hossain said that the advice from senior batsman Mahmudullah helped him in acing the chase of 122 against Australia in the second T20 International at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday night.
Chasing 121/7 in 20 overs, Bangladesh scored 123/5 in 18.4 overs, winning the match by five wickets and taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, with Hossain scoring an unbeaten 31-ball 37.
On a pitch which assisted spinners, Bangladesh were 67/5 in the 12th over of the chase. Afif and Nurul Islam stitched an unbeaten partnership of 56 to take the hosts home.
"When I went out to bat, Riyad (Mahmudullah) just told me one thing; to take two-three overs to settle. Personally, my ambition was to return after finishing the game. First thing I did was to assess the wicket and to understand what needs to be done on this surface. I was aware that if I stay late, I can finish the match. The plan for both Nurul Hasan and me was to just score without losing a wicket because the run-rate was under check," said Hossain after the match.
Hossain, adjudged the player of the match, also credited the efforts made by left-arm pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam. The duo shared five wickets and conceded 50 runs in their combined eight overs to keep Australia at 121.
"Our pace bowlers made full use of the home advantage we have. It was natural that our bowlers would bowl to a plan that is successful on these decks. But it needed backing up from the fielders too, which we received," said Hossain.
Bangladesh lead the five-match T20I series 2-0. The third T20I is scheduled for Friday.