Asia Cup 2025: Group B points table after Bangladesh beat Afghanistan

ABU DHABI: Bangladesh secured a narrow eight-run victory over Afghanistan in the ninth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday to stay in contention for Super Four qualification.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh registered a formidable total of 154/5 on the board, courtesy of Tanzid Hasan’s brisk half-century up the order.

The left-handed opener remained the top-scorer for Bangladesh with 52 off 31 deliveries, studded with four fours and three sixes.

He was supported by fellow opener Saif Hassan and middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy, who made 30 and 26, respectively.

For Afghanistan, captain Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad took two wickets each, while Azmatullah Omarzai took one.

In response, Afghanistan could accumulate 146 before being bowled out on the final delivery of the innings and thus suffered their first defeat in the Asia Cup 2025.

Opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with a cautious 35 off 31 deliveries, while all-rounders Omarzai (30) and Rashid (20) made notable contributions with brisk cameos.

Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh as he took three wickets for just 28 runs in his four overs, while Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed and Taskin Ahmed bagged two each.

The eight-run victory lifted Bangladesh to second in Group B standings as they finished with four points in three matches and a negative net run rate of 0.270.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, slipped to third, having two points in as many matches at a net run rate of 2.150.

Teams	Matches	Wins	Losses	Points	Net Run Rate
Sri Lanka	2	2	0	4	1.546
Bangladesh	3	2	1	4	-0.270
Afghanistan	2	1	1	2	2.150
Hong Kong	3	0	3	0	-2.151

Meanwhile, defending champions Sri Lanka remained at the bottom with four points in two matches with a net run rate of 1.546.

Notably, the remaining Group B match of the Asia Cup 2025 will be played between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on Thursday, with both Super Four spots still up for grabs.

If Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan in the remaining group-stage fixture, they, alongside Bangladesh, will qualify for the next stage, while the Atalans’ victory will propel them and the defending champions into the Super Four.

However, if Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by a big margin – at least by 65 runs – then Bangladesh may pip Sri Lanka in terms of net run rate and advance further in the eight-team tournament.