Zawad Abrar's 96 Powers Bangladesh U-19s to Nail-biting Victory

A century from Faisal Shinozada helped Afghanistan Under-19s post a total of 283, but it wasn't enough to secure a win as Bangladesh Under-19s chased down the score in a tense finish.

Bangladesh Under-19s reached 284 for 7, overcoming Afghanistan Under-19s' 283 for 7. Zawad Abrar's 96 and Rifat Beg's 62 were instrumental in the victory, while Stanikzai took 2 wickets for 46 runs. For Afghanistan, Shinozada scored 103 and Niazai added 44, while Shahriar picked up 2 wickets for 43 runs.

At one stage, Bangladesh seemed to be cruising to victory, needing only 48 runs from 45 balls with eight wickets in hand. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. a flurry of wickets caused a tense finish. Despite scoring 28 runs in the next four overs, they lost four wickets, giving Afghanistan a glimmer of hope for a comeback.

Earlier, Bangladesh's innings was built on a strong opening partnership of 151 between Zawad Abrar and Rifat Beg, followed by a 66-run stand for the third wicket between captain Azizul Hakim and Kalam Siddiki.

Roohullah Arab provided the initial breakthrough for Afghanistan, dismissing Beg for 62 in the 27th over, ending the opening partnership. Arab also claimed the crucial wicket of Abrar in the 31st over, who fell just short of a century at 96. While Hakim and Siddiki initially looked comfortable, a middle-order collapse created late-match drama. Rizan Hossan's quickfire 17 not out ultimately guided Bangladesh to victory in the 49th over with three wickets remaining.

Faisal Shinozada's century (103) was the backbone of Afghanistan's innings, which included partnerships of 66 and 89.