Afghanistan have levelled their ODI series against Bangladesh after a close win today in the second ODI at Dhaka.

Afghan captain Asghar Stanikzai won the toss and put the home side in to bat first. The Afghanistan bowlers kept things tight throughout their innings, with only Musfiqur Rahim and debutant Mosaddek Hossain making any sort of significant contribution, scoring 38 and an unbeaten 45 respectively.

The young leg-spinner Rashid Khan was the pick of the Afghan bowlers with 3-35 from his ten overs as Bangladesh were bowled out for 208, the last wicket falling four balls from the end of their 50 overs.

Mohammad Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal opened the batting, with Mangal falling for ten in the fourth over. Number three Rahmat Shah fell soon afterwards, the second of four wickets for Shakib Al Hasan. A run a ball 35 from Shahzad helped Afghanistan reach 63-4 when he fell from the first ball of the 16th over.

Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai then consolidated, putting on 107 for the fifth wicket in 24 overs before Mashrafe Mortaza had Nabi out lbw for 49. Stanikzai was out for 57 in the next over, and Bangladesh looked to be getting back into the match.

Heading into the final four overs, Afghanistan needed 15 with three wickets in hand. They could only manage two from each of the next two overs, leaving them needing 11 from the final two overs. Mirwais Ashraf hit the second ball of the penultimate over for six over long-on to relieve the pressure, and Afghanistan soon needed just two from the final over.

Taskin Ahmed then bowled two dot balls to Najibullah Zadran to start the final over, before dropping in too short and being called for a wide over the batsman's head to level the scores. A juicy full toss that would also have been called wide was too much for Najibullah to resist and he slapped the ball to backward point.

Out came Dawlat Zadran, who went for a big shot and got a streaky edge over backward point for four to secure the two wicket win. The sides will meet again on Saturday for the third and final ODI.

Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan by 2 wickets
Shere Bangla National Stadium, 28 September
Bangladesh 208 (49.2 overs, Mosaddek Hossain 45*, Mushfiqur Rahim 38, Rashid Khan 3-35)
Afghanistan 212-8 (49.4 overs, Asghar Stanikzai 57, Mohammad Nabi 49, Shakib Al Hasan 4-47)