With both teams having already beaten Zimbabwe in the Tri-Nation Series, it was a chance for the two sides to resume their rivalry after the recent test match which Afghanistan won.
It was they who won the toss in Mirpur and opted to bat, but they were in trouble from the first ball, with Mohammad Saifuddin bowling Rahmanullah Gurbaz. In the next over, Hazratullah Zazai was caught by Liton Das off Shakib-Al-Hasan, and, when Najeeb Tarakai was caught by Sabbir Rahman off Saifuddin, the Afghans had slumped to 18 – 3. Asghar Afghan and Najbullah Zadran temporarily halted the slide with a stand of 21, but then Najbullah was caught by Soumya Sarkar off Shakib.
The innings though was redeemed by a stand of 79 for the fifth wicket between Afghan and Mohammad Nabi, scored off 63 balls. Nabi was very much the aggressor, but Afghan provided good support until he fell to the Sabbir fielder, Saifuddin bowler combination for 40. He had struck 2 sixes. Saifuddin bowled Gulbadin Naib for his 4th wicket, but Nabi, with the assistance of Karim Janat, helped close the innings on 164 – 6, sharing an unbeaten stand of 43 for the 7th wicket, of which Janat scored only 5.
Nabi was undefeated at the end on 84, which included 7 sixes.
In reply, Bangladesh got off to a poor start of their own, losing Das off the second ball of their innings, caught by Tarakai off Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Then in the next over Mushfiqur Rahim was bowled by Fareed Ahmad. Two wickets then fell in the fifth over, Shakib caught by Rashid Khan off Mujeeb, and the Soumya lbw to the same man. Mahmudullah and Sabbir shared a stand of 48, but then Mahmudullah was out, top-scoring with 44, caught by Tarakai off the bowling of Gulbadin.
He was followed back to the pavilion next over by Sabbir, bowled by Mujeeb for 24, with Gulbadin supplying the catch this time. Mosaddek Hosnain and Afif Hossain briefly rallied, adding 20, but Hossain was caught by Najibullah off Gulbadin for 16. Rashid then had Saifuddin caught and bowled, and then he bowled Mosaddek for 16. Last man Mustafizur scored 15, including a six, but he eventually fell to Fareed, as the home side were bowled out for 139, with one ball of their innings left to be bowled.
Mujeeb took 4 for 15, and was the best of the Afghan bowlers.