Asia Cup 2018 Final: Why Bangladesh are more dangerous than Pakistan
Bangladesh knocking Pakistan out of the Asia Cup 2018 doesn't seem to be an upset. The way Pakistani team was playing it looked inevitable. They had a solitary convincing performance, which came against minnows HongKong in the first round of the tournament. Bangladesh has had its own problems during the tournament, which were further compounded by the absence of their key player - Tamim Iqbal. Bangladesh top order is a serious cause for concern and in absence of Tamim Iqbal, it looks their weakest link. Stalwarts like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have bailed them out of trouble, almost everytime.
On the other hand, India has looked clinical in almost every match. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan were comprehensively beaten by India in the initial stages of the tournament. Having said that, India has one chink in their armor - their fragile middle order. If a bowling unit can go through the Indian top order then there is every possibility of them running through the Indian middle order as a knife goes through the butter.
If Bangladesh can get an early wicket in the final then it can set the cat among the pigeons. The untested middle order will find it difficult to get the Bangladeshi bowlers (who do not offer any pace on the ball) away. Pakistani bowlers are easy to get away on these kinds of pitches as they offer a lot of pace on the ball which batsman can use to their advantage.
Bangladesh bowling unit looks better placed to exploit this weakness of Indian batting in comparison to Pakistani bowling, which looks one dimensional. On the low and slow pitch of Dubai International stadium Bangladesh has the right kind of attack to exploit the conditions. Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza are not express bowlers by any stretch of the imagination, but, on these kinds of wickets, bowlers need variation not pace. Both these bowlers have a lot of variety and tricks up their sleeve. Also, Bangladesh has a decent line up of spinners at their disposal, unlike Pakistan.
However, Bangladeshi batting is as fragile as Pakistani batting and Indian bowlers are in top form, which will certainly make things difficult for Bangladesh. They would mainly be dependent on Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah to put up a good score on the board. It would certainly be a sign of worry if Bangladesh manages to put up a good total or show up with the bat while chasing. India needs to have a good all-round performance in order to be crowned as champions of Asia.
It won't be unfair to say that Bangladesh's qualification for the final has not only robbed the chance of another mouth-watering India-Pakistan final, but it has also made the road to title a little more bumpy for India.