After early exit from T20 Asia Cup 2025 and T20I series cleansweep against Bangladesh, Afghanistan got back to winning ways in the ODI series opener. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan beat Mehidy Hasan Miraz's Bangladesh by five wickets in first ODI at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on October 9. Azmatullah Omarzai starred with all-round show, featuring three wickets and a 40-run knock in the run chase of 222.
Omarzai, Rashid bowl out Bangladesh
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first. Omarzai struck twice with the new ball, dismissing Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto. Towhid Hridoy (85-ball 56) and Miraz's (87-ball 60) half-centuries helped Bangladesh recover but they could not accelerated towards the end. Bangladesh were bowled out for 221 in 48.5 overs. Omarzai and Rashid Khan claimed three wickets each. Allah Ghazanfar bagged two wickets whereas Nangeyalia Kharote had one scalp during his economical spell.
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Gurbaz, Shah departed after reaching fifty
In the run chase, Afghanistan got off to a decent start. The openers shared a 52-run partnership. Tanvir Islam got Ibrahim Zadran stumped for a 25-ball 23. Sediqullah Atal departed for a single-digit score to Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah shared a 78-run partnership for the third wicket. Sakib broke the partnership, dismissing Shah for a 70-ball 50. In the next over, Miraz knocked over Gurbaz for a 76-ball 50.
Omarzai’s impactful knock, Nabi finishes in style
Skipper Shahidi and Omarzai took control of the run chase. Omarzai scored quickly. He hit six fours and a six in his 44-ball 40 before becoming Sakib's third victim. He took Afghanistan to the doorstep of victory. On the first ball of the 48th over, Mohammad Nabi finished the run chase with a six. Shahidi remained not out for a 46-ball 33 as Afghanistan won the match with 17 balls to spare.
"Very happy with the way the team played. Looking forward to other games. Honestly, I was working hard on myself. And my fielding. Hopefully, I will continue my standards on the field. Our bowlers bowled really well. We bowled economically and bowled good line and lengths. Rahmat and Gurbaz batted well. Gurbaz got a good ball. I wasn't happy with Rahmat as he threw his wicket away. Rahmat is a senior guy. He should have finished it," Shahidi said in the post-match presentation.
This is Afghanistan's ninth ODI win from 20 games against 10th-ranked Bangladesh. The second ODI of the series will be played at the same venue on October 11.