Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s century propelled Bangladesh A to a resounding 21-run victory over Afghanistan A in their final group game at the P Sara Oval during the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. With this win, Bangladesh A secured their spot in the semifinals of the tournament.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh posted a formidable total of 308 for seven. Despite a shaky start, with the team reeling at 34 for three within six overs, Joy and Zakir steadied the innings with a crucial 117-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Zakir’s contribution of 62 runs from 72 balls included six fours and two sixes. Joy, on the other hand, showcased remarkable form, achieving his second List A hundred with a composed 114-ball knock, comprising 100 runs, featuring 12 boundaries and two sixes, before being dismissed in the 47th over.

Soumya Sarkar’s brisk 48 off 42 balls and Mahedi Hasan’s explosive 36 off just 19 deliveries, adorned with six fours and a six, helped Bangladesh amass 52 runs in the final five overs of their innings.

In response, Afghanistan A made a valiant effort but fell short, reaching 287 for eight in their allotted overs. Opener Riaz Hassan led the charge with a well-played 78, while Bahir Shah remained unbeaten on 53. However, the target set by Bangladesh proved insurmountable.

Bangladesh A’s bowlers did an excellent job, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib claiming three wickets, and left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan and all-rounder Soumya Sarkar both taking two wickets each, effectively containing Afghanistan’s batting lineup.

With their second-place finish in Group A, Bangladesh A earned the opportunity to face the champions of Group B in the semifinals, a team that will be determined after the match between Pakistan A and India A today.

Bangladesh A showcases dominance, defeating Oman A by eight wickets in an Emerging Asia Cup match at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday.

The victory revitalizes the hopes of the Saif Hassan-led side to advance to the semifinals, following their initial loss against hosts Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Bangladesh A took control of the game right from winning the toss, stifling Oman’s run-scoring in the early overs. It took nine overs for Oman to reach double digits, losing two wickets in the process, including skipper Aqib Ilyas for a duck.

While Oman’s cautious approach allowed them to crawl to 99 for the loss of four wickets by the 35th over, Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s dismissal of Shoaib Khan (23) triggered a collapse. Eventually, Oman’s innings crumbled, finishing at a meager 126 all out in 46 overs. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, the paceman, stood out as the top performer with figures of 4-18, cleaning up the tail.

In response, Bangladesh A’s in-form batsman Tanzid Hasan Tamim displayed his prowess, smashing two sixes and 11 boundaries in his 49-ball 68. This marked his second half-century in consecutive games in the tournament. Opening partner Mohammad Naim contributed a brisk 47 off 42 deliveries. Bangladesh A comfortably chased down the target in just 16.3 overs, securing the victory without breaking a sweat.

Naeem Sheikh, who came down to bat in the beginning, returned to the dressing room empty-handed with 5 balls. After that, Saif Hasan, who is in form, scored 6 runs in 5 balls. Zakir Ali scored the maximum 25 runs for Bangladesh. The second highest 15 runs came from the bat of Soumya Sarkar. He returned with a catch to Tagenarine Chanderpaul off Anderson Phillips. Sabbir, who was called up to the Asia Cup squad after much speculation, has also failed to prove himself. The batsman scored 4 runs off 6 balls before getting out.

Among the rest, captain Mohammad Mithun was out for 12 balls in 20 balls, Mahmudul Hasan Joy was out for 4 balls in 15 balls, Mritunjoy Chowdhury was out for 0 runs in 1 ball, and Naeem Hasan was out for 0 runs in 5 balls. In the end, the innings of the Bangladesh ‘A’ team stopped at 80 runs in 23 overs. West Indies ‘A’ team reached the target of victory in just 23 overs with 6 wickets lost in 3 balls.