Asia Cup 2018: Bangladesh's journey to the final
The last game of the Super Four stage - between Pakistan and Bangladesh - had become the virtual semi-final of the tournament. Despite the topsy-turvy form of Pakistan, most of the cricketing experts were favouring them. Cricket fans, too, were expecting an India vs Pakistan final. But, as it turned out, there won't be another India versus Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup after all. A spirited Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 37 runs to meet India in the final.
Bangladesh will appear in an Asia Cup final for the third time in the last four editions. This is a testament to their ever-improving temperament. They are now a force to be reckoned with in international cricket. Here, in this article, we will take a look at Bangladesh's journey to the final.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 1st Match, Group B
Bangladesh started their campaign in style and beat the five-time champions Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 137 runs. After winning the toss, their captain Mashrafe Mortaza opted to bat first and what a horrible start they had. Lasith Malinga, playing an international match for the first time in a year, wreaked havoc in the very first over and sent Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan back to the pavilion with ducks. Bangladesh were reeling at 1 for 2 and at this crucial moment, their ever-reliable Mushfiqur Rahim came to the team's rescue. He rebuilt the innings with Mohammad Mithun and added 133 runs for the third wicket. Rahim played his career's best innings of 144 and helped Bangladesh to put 261 runs on the board.
In reply, the Sri Lankan team never really got going in the chase. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually folded with 124 on the scoreboard. Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets each for Bangladesh.