Cricket fans in Doon await second T-20 game today

DEHRADUN: Cricket enthusiasts in Dehradun are eagerly waiting for Afghanistan and Bangladesh to battle it out in the second T-20 match on Tuesday.

On Sunday, thousands of cricket fans had thronged the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Raipur to watch the T-20 match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the first international cricket event hosted by the city. A carnival like atmosphere was seen in the city as fans from Afghanistan and Bangladesh had also reached Dehradun to support their respective country’s teams which would be fighting it out to win the three-match T-20 series.

Bangladesh will look forward to level the series on Tuesday after a trouncing by the Afghanistan team in the first T-20 match. The third match of the series will be played on June 7.

Mothrowala resident Brijmohan Rawat said, “Sunday’s match was a treat for the city. We have seen IPL matches on TV but watching an international match live was mindblowing. Majority of us were seeing a live game for the first time.”

Aaraghar resident Amishi Negi said, “Watching the match from the stadium was great fun. Since the Indian team was not playing, my friends and I cheered both sides.”

On Sunday night, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and invited Afghanistan to bat first. The Afghanistan team amassed 167 runs in 20 overs with Mohammad Shahzad (40 runs), Samiullah Shenwari (36 runs) and Usman Ghani (26 runs) playing a crucial role in helping the side reach the total. For Bangladesh, Mahmudullah and Abul Hasan picked up two wickets each.

The Bangladesh cricket team scored 122 runs in 19 overs. Liton Das with 30 runs and Mahmudullah (29) were the only batsmen to put forth some resistance.