Bangladesh get Afghan revenge, Nepal crush Hong Kong

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 01:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Hosts Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets to exact sweet revenge in the World Twenty20 opener at Mirpur, while Nepal bulldozed Hong Kong by 80 runs in another one-sided group A match in Chittagong on Sunday. Barely two weeks after being stunned by the same opponents in the Asia Cup, Bangladesh skittled Afghanistan for 72 runs in 17.1 overs and cruised to victory with eight overs to spare for the loss of one wicket. It was an ominous sign for Afghanistan when they lost Mohammad Shahzad to the first ball of the tournament after being asked to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Shakib Al Hasan was denied a hat-trick but claimed three wickets for eight runs with his smart left-arm spin as only Gulbadin Naib (21) and two other Afghan batsmen reached double figures. Bangladesh got off to a flying start before losing Tamim Iqbal (21) in the eighth over. Fellow opener Anamul Haque (44 not out) played aggressively and brought up the winning runs with his third six to boost Bangladesh’s chances of reaching the Super 10 stage. In the battle between tournament debutants at Chittagong, Gyanendra Malla (48) and captain Paras Khadka (41) missed half-centuries but powered Nepal to 149-8 after being put into bat. In reply, Hong Kong reached 58-3 at the halfway stage before a spectacular collapse saw them dismissed for 69 in 17 overs. For Nepal, the left-arm spin duo of Shakti Gauchan (3-9) and Basant Regmi (3-14) shared six wickets as slow bowlers dominated the opening day of the tournament.