He is like a new star in Bangladesh cricket. Due to the senior cricketers, Afif has batted in various positions as per the needs of the team. After Mushfiqur retired in T20 and Mahmudullah was no longer in the team, Afif now bats at number four.
Bangladesh won both matches in T20 series against UAE in Dubai. However, they had to sweat to win the first match. Afif Hossain Dhrubo pulled the match which was under pressure at the beginning. But Afif said that he likes to play under pressure.
After winning the match under pressure, Afif said at the award ceremony,
“It’s always good to bat under pressure. I wanted to bat in the end, it feels good to be successful.”
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was not in the series. Mushfiqur and other senior cricketers were also absent. However, Afif said that he did not feel any additional pressure about this. He said, “Even though some senior players were not playing, there was no extra pressure on us. We always have to play the best XI.”
Even though Bangladesh won the series, the top order failure was observed. Afif’s voice is confident to do well in the next series. Afif also said, “Yes the top order did not do well, next time Inshallah we will do well. It is not a problem. The aim is to rotate the strike even if the wicket falls. We try to play according to the game plan.”
It should be noted that in the first match against the United Arab Emirates, Afif got a half-century, but in the second match, Afif’s bat did not shine. He was dismissed for 18 off 10 balls. Tri-nation series is just ahead. This young batter of Team Bangladesh is looking forward to doing well there.
In what comes as a big shocker for Indian cricket fans, the Indian team lost the second ODI against Bangladesh by six runs, thereby losing the three-match series. The Indian batting line-up was outclassed by Bangladeshi bowlers Ebadot Hossain (3 wickets), Shakib al Hasan (2 wickets) and Mehidy Hasan Mirza (2 wickets). Chasing a target of 272, India managed to score only 266-9.
Rohit Sharma batted with an injured thumb, at the ninth spot, and tried his best to take India across the finishing line. But the skipper fell short by just six runs as he scored a good knock of 57 off 28 balls.
