, Oct. 3 -- Bangladesh nearly threw away a game that looked wrapped up, but late hitting from Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain pulled them over the line in the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday night.

Set 152 to win, Bangladesh were cruising at 109 without loss.

Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan made it look easy, both reaching brisk half-centuries. Emon struck 54 off 37 balls, Tanzid 51 from the same number, and the pair had Afghanistan on the ropes inside 12 overs.

Then came the collapse. Rashid Khan, as he has done so many times, flipped the contest with four wickets in the space of a few overs.

Bangladesh lost six for just nine runs, slumping from 109 for none to 118 for six. Suddenly the Sharjah crowd came alive and the...