Asia Cup Bangladesh: From Uncertainty to a New Ray of Hope

Bangladesh boarded the flight to Dubai with dreams of becoming Asia Cup champions. The Tigers began the tournament on a high, registering a commanding victory against Hong Kong in their opening match. However, reality struck in their second outing against Sri Lanka, where a collapse at 53 for 5 and a total of just 139 runs, followed by erratic bowling, left fans and experts disappointed.

Many assumed Liton Das’s men would struggle to bounce back against Afghanistan. But at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh produced a spirited comeback to stun their opponents with an 8-run victory, keeping their Super Four hopes alive.

Heading into the clash with one win and one loss, the match against Afghanistan was virtually a do-or-die affair. A win would keep Bangladesh in the hunt for the Super Four, while defeat meant elimination. With morale shaken after the Sri Lanka loss, Bangladesh made four changes to their XI. Opting for extra batting strength, they risked going without a specialist fifth bowler, relying instead on part-time options.

The gamble worked. The four changes paid off brilliantly as Bangladesh contained Afghanistan and sealed a nail-biting win. The tactical bravery and fighting spirit earned praise from none other than Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul.

Speaking after the win, Bulbul said, “First of all, I would say Bangladesh bounced back brilliantly. They came back very strongly. After the first win against Hong Kong, there was a short phase against Sri Lanka where, in T20 cricket, 30 minutes of poor play can cost you the game. That’s exactly what happened. Otherwise, we didn’t play badly even against Sri Lanka.”

On the inclusion of multiple wicketkeeper-batters, Bulbul remarked, “That’s the beauty of having all-rounders. We have plenty of them. Zakir is there, Liton is a wicketkeeper-batter, Sohan is also a wicketkeeper-batter. Yesterday, Sohan showed how good he is in the field too. That moment turned the game. Even if we didn’t expect it from him, he showed how fielding inside the 30-yard circle can change a match.”

Bulbul credited the management’s tactical tweaks, “Against Afghanistan, the tactical inclusions worked perfectly. We may not have been involved in the planning, but the decisions worked out brilliantly. The team played outstanding cricket.”

Highlighting key performers, he added, “Tanzid batted really well, Nasum bowled brilliantly, and Taskin played a crucial role. But the biggest difference was Rishad. The way he bowled, varying pace, keeping it wicket-to-wicket, was impressive. His four overs in two spells showed he’s completely different, with a unique style.”

On areas for improvement, Bulbul said, “There’s always room for improvement. We need to focus on the overs between 7–14 and then 14–18. Had we managed those phases better, we could have easily scored 190 or even 200 yesterday.”

Discussing the absence of a fifth bowler, he noted, “From the outside, relying on Saif and Shamim for four overs looked risky. But those who picked the XI had their own thinking. At the end of the day, what matters is we won.”

Bulbul also emphasized the importance of intangible aspects, which he called the “hidden numbers”,“Core cricket is batting, bowling, and fielding. But there’s also outer cricket — running an extra five runs between the wickets, saving boundaries, getting a run-out. Yesterday, our competitive mindset stood out. The attitude was so strong, and it made all the difference.”

On wicketkeeper-batter Zakir Ali Anik’s underwhelming returns, Bulbul remained optimistic, “Every player has a role. Zakir’s role is valuable, like Nasir Hossain or Mahmudullah in the past. I believe Zakir will succeed across all three formats for Bangladesh. Not every day is good, but the key is that he enjoys his role. If he does, he’ll go far. He has our full support.”