Afghanistan Cruise Past Bangladesh in U19 Asia Cup Tournament Opener

Afghanistan began their U19 Asia Cup 2026 campaign with a convincing win against Bangladesh on Thursday, thanks to a fine knock from Shah Faisal Rahimi and a strong effort from their bowlers at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.

After winning the toss, Afghanistan captain Sohail Khan chose to bat first, and his decision proved to be the right one as his team posted 231 before being bowled out in 49 overs.

Rahimi led the scoring with an 83 off 97 balls, hitting eight fours and a six. His steady innings earned him the Player of the Match award and helped Afghanistan recover from the loss of wickets in the middle order.

He also put together a valuable 59-run stand for the fifth wicket with Tahir Sarwary, who added 37 off 43 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

From the bowling perspective, Tafiul Alam Tamim remained the key performer for Bangladesh, as he picked up four wickets for 41 runs in his 10 overs. Apart from him, Robiul Hasan Anik picked up two wickets, while Rubay Islam Rizon, Sheikh Atiqur Rahman and All Rafi took one each to wrap up the Afghan innings.

Coming out to chase the target, Bangladesh struggled from the start of the innings, due to which they failed to come close to Afghanistan's total.

SK Jarif Siyam was the only batter to offer some resistance, scoring 41 off 58 balls with the help of six fours. Besides him, Robiul Hasan Anik and Rubay Islam Rizon were the other Bangladesh batters to reach double figures, scoring 33 and 21 runs, respectively.

On the other hand, Afghanistan's bowlers remained dominant from the start, with Noor Ali Niazai, Amir Hamza and Sami Mubarez taking three wickets each. Due to their solid performances, Bangladesh failed to lift their scoring rate in the middle overs, and were eventually bowled out for just 118 in 25.5 overs. With this win, Afghanistan will head into their next Asia Cup game with plenty of confidence, as they take on Malaysia U19 at the same venue on November 7.