Gurbaz was back in focus as play finally resumed, but not on a positive note. An awkwardly-bouncing ball struck the keeper on the knee, causing another short break in play. He limped off the ground, as the most dramatic innings of the tournament officially kicked off.
Fazalhaq Farooqi removed Tanzid Hasan (0 off 3) to claim yet another T20 World Cup scalp. And Naveen-ul-Haq struck two huge blows in the third over, including the captain.
Midway through the fourth, the rain arrived again. The second delay would exhaust the match’s time reserve – any more delay and DLS would come into effect.
The Tigers clawed their way to 46/3 at the six-over mark, as Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar settled into a partnership across the back half of the Powerplay.
That triggered the introduction of Rashid Khan into the attack, who struck in an instant, removing Sarkar (10 off 10). The pressure was again on Bangladesh, just as their semi-final hopes had started to rise significantly.
The Tigers needed to complete the run chase in 12.1 overs to overtake the Aussies and qualify for the final four. Back-to-back Towhid Hridoy boundaries in the eighth over swung momentum away from Afghanistan, but Khan took care of Hridoy next over – yet another twist.
Das steadied the ship, as drinks approached, finding assistance from reliable veteran Mahmudullah. The pair had their team at 77/5 at drinks.
In what was proving to be the most chaotic match of the tournament, Khan collected back-to-back wickets to end the 11th over, including Mahmudullah, and place the contest firmly back in the balance. Khan had 17/4 off three overs, doing everything he possibly could.