Abu Dhabi – Azmatullah Omarzai delivered an all-round masterclass as Afghanistan clinched a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Batting first, Bangladesh were bowled out for 221 runs in 48.5 overs, struggling to build partnerships under pressure. Afghanistan chased down the target comfortably in 47.1 overs, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. The victory marks a strong comeback for Afghanistan following their recent T20I losses.
Omarzai, who was named Player of the Match, contributed with both bat and ball. He bowled a tight opening spell that restricted Bangladesh early on and later played a quick-fire 40 to seal the win. “It was a tough wicket to bat on, but I looked for balls in my area to hit the boundaries,” Omarzai said after the match.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi praised his team’s all-round effort, commending the bowlers for maintaining pressure in the middle overs and highlighting the solid starts from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. “We stuck to our plans and stayed calm under pressure,” Shahidi added.
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz admitted that early wickets hurt their momentum, though he credited Tawhid Hridoy for his fighting knock. He expressed optimism about bouncing back in the next match.
With this win, Afghanistan have taken a confident step forward in the ODI series, displaying discipline, balance, and resilience across all departments.