New Delhi: In their crucial World Cup encounter against Bangladesh, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan lost his cool and threw his bat at his partner Karim Janat. A miscommunication over a second run was apparently the reason behind Rashid's harsh reaction.

The incident happened at the 20th over of the Afghanistan innings, when the team was reeling at 107 for 5.   

Post Rashid’s sharp reaction, in an attempt to diffuse the situation, Janat walked up to his captain, but the skipper walked away showing no interest in a conversation.   

In a crucial Super Eight encounter in St Vincent, Bangladesh's bowlers delivered a significant blow to Afghanistan's aspirations of advancing to the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Opting to bat first, Afghanistan struggled to assert themselves against a varied Bangladeshi bowling attack, managing only 115 runs for the loss of five wickets.

Leading the charge for Bangladesh was leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who claimed three wickets for 26 runs. Despite a promising opening stand of 59 runs off 10.4 overs, Afghanistan faltered in capitalising on this foundation. Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scored with a painstaking 43 off 55 balls, emblematic of Afghanistan's difficulty in accelerating the scoring rate. Contributions from Ibrahim Zadran and Azmatullah Omarzai were notable, but the overall scoring remained sluggish.

Seamer Taskin Ahmed, brought into the Bangladesh side along with another change following their heavy defeat to India, bowled exceptionally well. He conceded just 12 runs in his four-over spell and crucially dismissed former captain Mohammad Nabi. 

Captain Rashid Khan provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 19 runs, including three sixes in the final two overs, which helped Afghanistan cross the 100-run mark. However, their total proved inadequate against Bangladesh's disciplined bowling effort.

For Bangladesh, a substantial victory in this match, following their earlier losses in the Super Eight, would secure them a semi-final berth alongside India from their group. Meanwhile, Australia, who suffered a defeat to India earlier in the day and are currently on two points, hoped for a narrow Bangladesh win to boost their chances of advancing on net run-rate.

Weather conditions added to the tension, with rain affecting play just after Afghanistan completed their innings. A no-result scenario would favour Afghanistan, setting up a semi-final clash with South Africa in Trinidad on Wednesday.

In short, Bangladesh's disciplined bowling performance and Afghanistan's inability to capitalise on their starts set the stage for an intense finish to determine the semi-finalists in the T20 World Cup. Agencies