Bangladesh’s first victory in the Asia Cup Cricket came against Hong Kong in a group stage contest in the eighth edition of the tournament in Sri Lanka in 2004. Bangladesh have so far won 10 games in the competition, including ODI and T20 formats. With the fifteenth edition of the tournament about to kick off, let’s take a look at the Bangladesh men’s team’s five unforgettable victories in Asia Cup history.
Bangladesh men’s team’s five memorable victories in Asia Cup cricket
Since 2012, the Bangladesh national men’s cricket team started to win matches consistently in the Asia Cup Cricket competition.Nine out of their ten victories in the tournament’s history came in the previous four editions. Some of the triumphs were truly memorable ones for cricket fans. Let’s have a look at Bangladesh’s five outstanding victories in the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh vs India (2012 Asia Cup)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets
It was Bangladesh’s second match in the competition, and they had to overcome India in their quest for the final berth. Not many thought Bangladesh would be able to beat a very strong Indian side, especially after Sachin Tendulkar’s historic milestone.
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Sachin completed his 100th international century in the contest and guided India to 289/5. A confident Bangladesh side took an aggressive approach and chased down the target with 4 balls to spare. Shakib Al Hasan was named player of the match after scoring 49 runs in 31 balls.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (2012 Asia Cup)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets (D/L Method)
Bangladesh would play in the final if they beat Sri Lanka, and that was the equation prior to the match. A revitalized Bangladesh squad was committed to beating the Lankan team, and they were successful in their mission. Sri Lanka made 232 after being asked to bat first.
The Tigers chased down the revised target of 212 in 40 overs with 17 balls remaining for the loss of 5 wickets. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan once again played a vital role for his team. He won the player of the match award after taking two wickets and hitting 56 off 46 balls.
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Bangladesh vs Pakistan (2016 Asia Cup)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets
The 2016 Asia Cup was played in the Twenty20 format. Bangladesh had to defeat Pakistan in their last match of the group stage to get to the championship game against India. It was a low-scoring, tightly contested affair which eventually Bangladesh won by 5 wickets. The team Tigers chased down Pakistan’s 130 runs target with 5 balls to spare. Soumya Sarkar played a crucial 48 off 48 balls as an opener and won the player of the match award.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (2018 Asia Cup)
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Result: Bangladesh won by 137 runs
Bangladesh’s match against Sri Lanka was the 2018 Asia Cup opener. It was one of the more memorable matches for the Tigers’ cricket fans. Tamim Iqbal was applauded for his heroic decision to come out to bat with a broken finger after being injured early in the innings. He remained unbeaten for 2* but gave great support to Mushfiqur Rahim to go after the Lankan bowlers.
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Mushfiqur went on to score 144 and set a 262-run target for Sri Lanka. Bangladesh eventually won the contest quite comfortably by 137 runs and made a strong start to the competition. For a magnificent century, Mushfiqur Rahim won player of the match.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan (2018 Asia Cup)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
Result: Bangladesh won by 37 runs
The last fixture between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Super Four round was a do-or-die contest in their quest for the final berth. Mushfiqur Rahim’s 99-run knock guided his side to put up a challenging 239-run on the board. Bangladesh did manage to beat Pakistan thanks to some quality bowling performances.
Pakistan finished their innings at 202/9 in 50 overs and conceded a 37-run defeat. Left-arm pacer Mustafizur bagged 4 wickets, but Mushfiqur won the player of the match award for his outstanding knock. Bangladesh reached their third Asia Cup final in six years with this triumph.
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Aftermath
The Bangladesh men’s team had trouble competing in the early Asia Cup cricket competitions. The roaring tigers showcased their true potential to the cricketing world in the eleventh edition of the competition in 2012. Defeating two Asian powerhouses, India and Sri Lanka, in the group stage secured a spot in the final of the 2012 Asia Cup.
Bangladesh Men’s Cricket team’s 5 outstanding victories in Asia Cup made the nation proud. Bangladesh made it to three finals in the previous four competitions, but failed to win any titles. However, no one can deny that the performances of Tigers’ in the recent Asia Cup competitions were quite praiseworthy.
Source: United News of Bangladesh