Mushfiqur, Mustafizur thrust Bangladesh into Asia Cup final

There won't be another India versus Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup after all. In an   implicit semifinl at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs on Wednesday (September 26) to set a finale date with India. Mushfiqur Rahim's 99 helped set Pakistan a 240-run target, which proved a bridge too far to cross in the face of a four-wicket haul by Mustafizur Rahman.

The fact that Bangladesh fared so well in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who was  Laid up by his recurrent finger injury is a testament to their ever improving temperament. Having lost their top three batsmen for only 12 runs, thanks to returning Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi wreaking havoc at the top, Bangladesh built their way back into the game courtesy a 144-run stand between Rahim and Mohammad Mithun. The duo paced up well with Pakistan spinners, who bowled quick on a well-grassed wicket. First-change Hasan Ali was equally complicit in the growing stand, failing to keep up the pressure built by the opening bowlers.

It was Hasan who eventually broke the stand, getting Mithun to top-edge a pull but the inflection point arrived with the wicket of Rahim, who fell one short of his hundred while trying to drive Afridi. Junaid, brought into the side at the cost of Mohammad Amir's second layoff of the tournament, added two more wickets to his tally, razing out Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan to finish with 4 for 19 and bundle Bangladesh out for 239 in 48.5 overs. The last five wickets fell for only 42 runs.

Pakistan also lost three early wickets while chasing. Mehidy Hasan opened the bowling to a circumspect Fakhar Zaman, getting the batsman on nought to open the gates. Mustafizur then struck in successive overs to account for Babar Azam with an LBW and Sarfraz Ahmed with an edge behind the wicket, leaving Pakistan reeling at 18 for 3 inside four overs.

Shoaib Malik, in association with Imam-ul-Haq, put 67 runs for the fourth wicket but his wicket by Rubel Hossain, thanks to a stunning take by Mashrafe Mortaza at short midwicket, meant that the onus was on Imam, who put up a lone fight from thereon. Shadab Khan was promoted above Asif Ali but failed to get going, consuming 24 balls for his 4 runs before becoming Soumya Sarkar's maiden ODI wicket.

Pakistan lost out on allowing the non-regular bowlers in Soumya and Mahmudullah to flourish, meaning Bangladesh didn't miss Shakib as much as they should have. Asif Ali, dropped on 22 by stand-in wicketkeeper Liton Das, did put up a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket with Imam, allowing Pakistan a shot at the target, but both fell in consecutive overs. Asif was stumped off an away-drifter by Mehidy while Imam, the top-scorer of the innings and Pakistan's only hope then, was stumped by Mahmudullah's one-finger slider; Liton Das completed both the stumpings to make for the dropped catch. It was a formality after that.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 239 in 48.5 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 99, Mohammad Mithun 60; Junaid Khan 4-19) beat Pakistan 202/9 in 50 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 83; Mustafizur Rahman 4-43) by 37 runs.

Mushfiqur Rahim at the heart of Bangladesh recovery

If you take a closer look at Pakistan's botched up run-chase of Bangladesh's 239, you could perhaps jot down myriad turning points. Like the start provided by Mehidy Hasan, for instance, piling on pressure on an already struggling Fakhar Zaman and bringing an end to his miserable Asia Cup 2018 on the sixth ball.

Like the fabulously controlled length delivery from Mustafizur Rahman, that pitched right on the seam and straightened to get Pakistan's best batsman, Babar Azam, for just 1. Or Sarfraz Ahmed's wild waft away from the body that gave Bangladesh an identical start with the ball to Pakistan's by the fourth over. There was even Mashrafe Mortaza's fantastic dive to his left at short midwicket to puncture a gaping hole through Pakistan's chase with the dismissal of Shoiab Malik.

And what about Asif Ali's soft dismissal against Mehidy in the 40th over after a measured 71-run stand with Imam Ul Haq that kept Pakistan alive?

Each of these moments from the second-half of the virtual semifinal in Abu Dhabi had the potential to be the game-changer, but the epicenter of Bangladesh's excellent comeback lay elsewhere. Precisely, bang in the middle of the first innings, thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim.

In the fifth over on the hot afternoon, the local broadcasters turned their cameras towards a reserves bib-wearing Mohammad Amir, sitting by himself beyond the fence. It's hard on him, after the sort of start his replacement - Junaid Khan - was having, but he maintains a straight face.

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Inconsistent Pakistan, Bangladesh in direct shootout

This is perhaps how the schedule makers of the Asia Cup intended it to be. The final group stage game with all to play for and the potential of the moolah-raking India-Pakistan finale. But there's nothing foregone about the virtual semifinal on Wednesday. Bangladesh after all, pulled off something similar just tow years ago - beating Pakistan to make the final of Asia Cup 2016, where they eventually lost to India.

Asia Cup campaigns of Pakistan and Bangladesh can best be described as severely [and similarly] inconsistent, with both winning and losing games by equally-massive margins, and are both still alive thanks to their final-over wins over Afghanistan. Both teams have had encouraging individual performances but have fallen flat in the face of pressure - particularly from India, who the winner of this game will meet in the final.

The scheduling of the tournament afforded Bangladesh four off days after their opening game on September 15, but have then had to play three games in four days while also shuttling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They have cooled their heels over the past couple of days though. On the other hand, Pakistan's itinerary has been slightly less taxing, but two outings against India have been morale-sapping.

Mahmudullah, Kayes lift Bangladesh to 249

Bangladesh were in dire straits in the first half of their innings before Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes led a fine recovery through a 128-run sixth wicket association that lifted the team to a total of 249 for 7 on Sunday (September 23). Both Mahmudullah and Kayes scored crucial half-centuries that arrested the slide after Bangladesh were reduced to 87 for 5 courtesy a few ambitious attempts and a couple of suicidal run-outs.

Bangladesh pip Afghanistan to keep hopes alive

Bangladesh won a thriller to keep their hopes alive of a place in the finale by defeating Afghanistan by 2 runs in a closely fought game on Sunday (September 23). Fifties from Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Shahzad laid the platform but the chase was derailed despite only eight needed off the final over for a win.


Earlier, Bangladesh batted first and scored 249 for 7 after being in a spot for most part of it. They were 87 for 5 before fifties from Mahmudullah (74) and Imrul Kayes (72*) saved them the blushes and took them to a score which looked defendable.


The top-order of Bangladesh once again crumbled and were for 18 for 2. Nazmul Hossain picked up his third consecutive single digit score and Mohammad Mithun failed to utilize his chance at number 3. Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim resurrected the innings with a 63-run stand but the slipped again as Liton fell to Rashid, in his first over.

Rohit, Dhawan tons clobber Pakistan to nine-wicket defeat

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma helped India maul down the target of 238 with 10.3 overs to spare, putting on 210 - India's highest-ever opening stand in run-chases which graduated into the highest opening stand in the UAE, surpassing 204 between Saeed Anwar and Ramiz Raja against Sri Lanka in 1993. Dhawan hoisted his 15th hundred in ODIs, and Rohit his 19th, shredding Pakistan's bowling attack to smithereens in a stunning contrast to what Sarfraz Ahmed would have expected at the toss, when he opted to bat first, again.


One of the reasons could have been the nature of the track on offer, which, as dry as it was, promised help to the spinners in the second innings. Sarfraz ruled out the dew factor, and how the pitch obviously plays better under lights, in favour of bowling second on a deteriorating track, given he had an in-form Mohammad Nawaz and a returning Shadab Khan at his disposal. Mohammad Amir, returning at the cost of Usman Khan in order to keep 18-year-old Shaheen Afridi in the side, conceded 41 runs in his five overs, further denting Pakistan's chances after the batsmen managed a below-par 237.