Bangladesh squandered multiple late chances—including missed run-outs and a dropped catch—allowing Afghanistan to survive the final day
Sediqullah Atal anchored Afghanistan's resistance with a marathon, match-saving hundred spanning 332 balls
Afghanistan finished on 346 for 8 to secure a tense draw, leaving Bangladesh to walk away feeling like they suffered a defeat
Cricket has run-outs, and then it has what Bangladesh produced on the final day in Abu Dhabi. With victory in sight, the hosts treated a simple run-out chance like a puzzle they had no intention of solving.
The moment came late in the day. Bowler Nayeem Hasan failed to hit the stumps with Qais Ahmad only about a yard away, and the batter lived. If that was a one-off, Bangladesh made sure it wasn’t.
Nayeem Misses Easy Run Out - Watch
They missed two run-out chances on successive deliveries, which suggests they were committed to the bit. The stumps survived two straight attempts, and the batters were presumably the only ones laughing
It mattered because Bangladesh began the day needing seven wickets, took five, and then could not shift Qais Ahmad and Zia-ur-Rehman. Hasan Mahmud also dropped a catch during the same stretch.
Then came the drama. With Afghanistan eight down and Bangladesh two wickets from victory, Qais took a four-minute break with an apparent injury. Nothing suggests it was deliberate, but those minutes cost Bangladesh precious overs.
None of this happened in isolation. Afghanistan had also wasted plenty of chances in the field earlier in the match, so the sloppiness was not one-sided. But only one side paid for it at the end.
Afghanistan finished on 346 for 8 chasing 479, and Sediqullah Atal’s 332-ball maiden hundred anchored the resistance. Bangladesh walked off with a draw that felt like a defeat.
