Afghans outclass Bangladesh

Leg spinner Rashid Khan carried his lethal IPL form into international cricket as Afghanistan outplayed Bangladesh by 45 runs in the opening T20 of the three-match series here on Sunday.

Rashid came to bowl in the 11th over and put his team in a strong position straightaway by removing the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim (20) and Sabbir Rahman (0) off his first two deliveries. Bangladesh could not recover from the blow and ended at 122 all out in response to Afghanistan's 167 for eight.

The 19-year-old spin sensation was on target from ball one as he found the stumps of Rahim, who failed to execute a reverse sweep.

The next ball was a googly and Rahman had no idea where it was heading, trapping him plumb in front of the stumps.

Rashid ended with figures of three for 13 in three overs. Bangladesh felt the pressure in the chase from ball one when the other in-form spinner Mujeeb Zadran had the experienced Tamim Iqbal leg before wicket.

Spin all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (2/21) took the prized wicket of opposition skipper Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Shapoor Zadran struck thrice though he was a tad expensive.

Earlier, Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad (40 off 37) entertained the Dehradun crowd which turned up in huge numbers to watch the first ever international game in the city as well as the state.

The enthusiasm amongst the fans was palpable with many walking as much as three kilometers to enter the 25,000 capacity stadium which was surrounded by a heavy security cover. There were teething troubles too at the venue which otherwise looked spic and span.