Match abandoned without a ball bowled (no toss)
Teams come together to lift the trophy. And finally, Shakib and Rashid pose with the cup. Afghanistan will be proud of what they have achieved on this tour. A week back, they were aspiring to go back home without tasting a defeat. Well, that didn't transpire according to the plan but lot of things before that went exactly how they wanted - especially, the Test match victory. They will undoubtedly leave Bangladesh with their reputation enhanced. Bangladesh on the other hand, would have been desperate to prove today who is the real boss in this newly emerging sub-continent rivalry. They will have to wait for another day to do that. So, that brings our coverage of this tri-series to an end. Until next time, this is Varun Dixit signing off on behalf of Rishi Roy, Hariprasad and Venky. Good bye and take care.
Shakib Al Hasan: Disappointing that we didn't get any match today. It was a very important final. We didn't play our best cricket in this tournament but leading upto the final, we played some good cricket. CPL is going to be a good experience for me. I will get some match time before the India series. The India series is very important for us.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Man of the Series: I am very happy to get the Man of the series award in my debut series. Thanks to the supporting staff who helped me and the fans back home who prayed for me. It was my first time playing in front of this big crowd so that motivated me to do well.
Rashid Khan: The crowd we had today was amazing, we wanted to have a game today. I think, it was incredible performance from the guys so unlucky that we didn't get the match today. I was going to play had there been a game, thanks to the physio. We targeted the Test game, we are famous in T20's but the target of board is to do well in Test matches. So, the Test match victory was very pleasing. We are leaving tonight from Bangladesh. We have our own leagues happening and after that we have a series with West Indies.
21:05 Local Time, 15:05 GMT, 20:35 IST: Well, the match has been officially called off due to rain. And as we informed earlier, there is no reserve day so both teams will share the trophy. The forecast wasn't great for today but cricket fanatics were hoping against the hope, that rain won't spoil the entire day. Unfortunately, their biggest fear came true as the weather Gods were in no mood to relent today and they made sure that we couldn't even witness the toss. Hang around for the presentations.
20:50 Local Time, 14:50 GMT, 20:20 IST: Our detective at the ground Atif has some positive news. It seems like the rain has stopped and the umpires are out there having a look at the ground conditions. For the first time in the evening, the players are spotted on the field. Mind you, there's still a lot of repair work left to be done for the ground staff but at least, this is a start.
20:44 Local Time, 14:44 GMT, 20:14 IST: It's still raining in Dhaka and the clock is ticking. We could have some official news shortly.
In case we don't get a game today, the trophy will be shared as there isn't a reserve day.
19:29 Local Time, 13:29 GMT, 18:59 IST: In case you're curious to know, I'm afraid we've nothing much to update as the rain continues to fall heavily.
18:21 Local Time, 12:21 GMT, 17:51 IST: Live pictures show the rain to be pretty steady and puddles are building up on the covers. That's never a good sign and it means that a lot of repair work will have to be done by the ground staff. All this only if the rain stops, of course.
18:11 Local Time, 12:11 GMT, 17:41 IST: We're told that it's still drizzling and the covers remain firmly in place. The cut-off time to have a five-over game is 21:40 local. So, still plenty of time left for us to have a game. Let's hope the rains clear as soon as possible.
It is possible that Rashid Khan won't play today, presumably due to an injury. In that case, Afghanistan's chances may be significantly jolted in this (local) summit clash. More updates on this soon...
The rains have arrived, pings Messr. Atif Azam from the Shere Bangla National stadium! That's never good news, but keep your fingers crossed for a timely toss...
Can Bangladesh clean this up tonight, taking forward the momentum from the last game? Or will Afghanistan, essentially today's favourites, trump them to register a landmark tri-series win in their rollercoaster ride to the top? The toss should be coming up at 6:00PM local time. Sit tight!
Bangladesh have ended up at the top of the points table, with the solitary loss against Afghanistan but redeemed themselves in the second encounter just before this final. It might not do them much good to know that the last game was the first T20 they had won against Afghanistan in the last four attempts, thanks only to a Shakib masterclass to take them across the line.
5:30PM local time | 4:00PM AFT: Buckle up! It's final time! In this T20I series, we have eliminated the weak link and come up with a the top two - out of three - in this tri-series final. It is, of course, all in preparation for the World T20, a special one, because, you know 2020 and less special because the ICC deemed it worthy to hold one in 2021 as well *SLOW CLAPS*. With an event that is well into its 14th day, we mark the fortnight by welcoming you to this grand finale between Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
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Preview:
Bangladesh put aside a stat that wouldn't have made them very happy about when they beat Afghanistan by four wickets when the teams clashed two days ago. They hadn't beaten Afghanistan in their last four games in T20Is and looked like they were headed down a similar path when they were reduced to 12/2 in a modest chase. However, a Shakib Al Hasan masterclass helped them arrest the slide, forcing Afghanistan to their second successive loss in the series, who at the start looked favourites to make the final unbeaten.
A flurry of wickets in the back-half of the game in their games against Zimbabwe, first, and then Bangladesh, derailed their efforts of setting a large total. That, after their top order had given them starts in both games with opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz being at the top of the run charts in the series. Both teams eventually chased it down with relative ease, as Afghanistan were dented in confidence.
To make matters worse, skipper and their vital cog Rashid Khan picking up a hamstring injury in that last game has set them back further. Rashid, the No.1-ranked T20I bowler, hobbled off, but returned a while later to take the ball and strike immediately. It seemed like he aggravated the injury in a fielding attempting soon after, thus casting a cloud of doubt over his availability for the final. Bangladesh will be without their all-rounder, Aminul Islam, who made his debut earlier in the series after sustaining a finger injury in his first game in national colours after picking up two wickets in his maiden outing. However, they have enough personnel to fill in. Yet, despite it all, much depends on Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmadullah, who have been among the runs this series.
Head coach Russell Domingo blatantly stated that they haven't found their perfect game yet, so far. The final will be when he will want his wards to step up. For Afghanistan, having their players leading the run-scoring and wicket-taking charts will give them some confidence. But slipping to two losses in a row will be on their mind, nevertheless.
Bangladesh needed to bounce back from the embarrassing Test defeat to Afghanistan. After being trounced handsomely in the one-off game, they needed to make amends in the tri-series. And they did so by setting up a date with Afghanistan in the final. Having beaten them already in the dress-rehearsal, in the last league-stage game, they would hope to do so one more time. After all, it's about pride. For Bangladesh, it'll be about ascertaining their dominance at home. While Afghanistan would want to leave those shores victorious.
What: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Final
When: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Where: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
What to expect: Thunderstorms are forecast through the day tomorrow. A couple of showers in the day, to the possibility of thunderstorms later in the evening. The toss will be crucial if it comes down to a rain-interrupted game.
Team news:
Bangladesh: Bangladesh will most likely be without the services of their batting all rounder, Aminul Islam. Aminul, on debut, was hit on his finger by a forceful shot from Hamilton Masakadza. While he misses out, the head coach also reckoned that they will add another pace option to their 12-man squad, factoring in that the pacers caused the Afghanistan top order trouble. In which case, Rubel Hossain may be named.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan is in doubt for the summit clash. In case he misses out, Sharafuddin Ashraf may play his first game of the series.
What they said:
"We haven't played the perfect game of cricket yet. We have been good in certain areas and average in certain areas. We are still trying to find the perfect game." - Russell Domingo, Bangladesh's head coach.
"We won two and lost two in the league phase. We have to take positives from it. Those things are gone. We have to focus on the final tomorrow." - Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's skipper.
Teams:
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Hazratullah Zazai, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najeeb Tarakai, Fazal Niazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shahidullah Kamal, Fareed Malik, Dawlat Zadran