Asia Cup: Kayes and Mahmudullah lift Bangladesh to 249-7
Both Afghanistan and Bangladesh have lost their opening Super Four matches.
ABU DHABI (AFP) - Mahmudullah Riyad and Imarul Kayes knocked half centuries to lift Bangladesh to a fighting 249-7 in their Super Four Stage match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Riyad scored 81-ball 74 with two sixes and three boundaries while Kayes - recalled as a back-up to strengthen the batting - made 89 ball 72 not out to help Bangladesh recover from a precarious 5-87 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Opener Liton Das scored 41 and Mushfiqur Rahim made 33 but Bangaldesh - who won the toss and batted - owed their total to a solid 128-run stand for the sixth wicket between Riyad and Kayes.
Kayes gave good support to Riyad as the two built the innings after Bangladesh s star batsman Shakib Al Hasan was run out for nought.
Kayes hit six boundaries as Bangladesh played the dangerous spinning duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeebur Rahman who managed a wicket each.
Both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lost their opening Super Four matches, need a win to stay in the hunt for the September 28 final in Dubai.
Bangladesh: Liton Das, Nazmul Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahsrafe Mortaza (capt), Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam
Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Ihsanullah, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Samiullah Shenwari, Asghar Afghan (capt), Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
