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Jnr Tigers emerge tri-nation champions

  • Sports Correspondent
  • 31 March, 2023 12:00 AM
  • Print news
Jnr Tigers emerge tri-nation champions
Players of Bangladesh U-19 cricket team celebrate an Afghanistan wicket during the final of the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Thursday. —COLLECTED PHOTO

Left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby showcased a brilliant bowling performance to help Bangladesh U-19 team beat their Afghan counterparts by six wickets in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament final at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Thursday.

Rabby finished with 6-29 in his allotted 10 overs while Rafi Uz Zaman Rafi also took two wickets as the junior Tigers bowled Afghanistan all out for 143 runs in 37 overs after their opponents chose to bat first in the final.

Mohammad Haroon Khan top-scored for the Afghanistan side with 65 runs while opener Wafiullah Tarakhil made 27 runs.

Bangladesh, in reply, lost opener Ashiqur Rahaman Shibli (17) early in the short run chase but Md Rizwan Chowdhury and Jishan Alam steadied their ship by adding 41 runs for the second wicket stand.

Jishan was dismissed by Kahlel Ahmad after making a quick-fire 35 off 19 balls that included seven fours but Rizwan (43) and Ariful Islam (22) then shared a 53-run stand for the third wicket to take Bangladesh close to the victory.

Although both the batters fell in quick succession, Bangladesh raced towards 144-4 in 23.2 overs and completed a thumping win in the final.

The junior Tigers earlier started their tournament with back-to-back defeats before they bounced back strongly in the competition by securing successive wins in their remaining two games.

Afghanistan’s thrilling four-run win over Sri Lanka during the last league match of the tournament confirmed Bangladesh’s final berth before they staged a dominating performance in the final to win the tournament.