Asia Cup 2018

A worthy work in progress

The morning of September 29 must have broken with some harsh light for the Bangladesh cricketers in Dubai and their loyal fans back home.
Heroic Tigers return home

After an agonising defeat in the final of the Asia Cup against India in UAE on Friday night, the Bangladesh cricket team returned home last night with heads held high.
'Out or not, it is hard to tell'

There has been a lot of debate on social media and elsewhere regarding Liton Das's stumping by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Friday's Asia
Ravenous Rubel

Rubel Hossain is known for blowing hot and cold in a career spanning over a decade. Prone to err in the death overs, the right-arm pacer
Liton first among equals

Liton Das has been one of the more maligned junior national cricketers in Bangladesh, because the perception is that he was wasting his considerable talent with the bat.
Inspiration for now & beyond

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had boldly stated prior the Asia Cup final against India that he was not so cheap that he would judge himself by a trophy.
Who will answer for Shakib?

Bangladesh Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan is currently lying with his left arm in a sling in Apollo Hospital. By the time he had come back from the Asia Cup in the UAE on Wednesday, unable to even grip a bat after batting and bowling in four games, his left little finger had swollen to twice its size.
Tigers fall agonisingly short

The target was just 223 for the vaunted Indian batting that has struck fear in the hearts of bowling line-ups the world over, but that it took them till the last ball of the 50th over to complete a three-wicket win in the Asia Cup final spoke volumes of the heart Bangladesh have shown throughout the tournament.
'No need to press the panic button'

Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, took the blame for his team's poor show at the Asia Cup, but said that there's time to rebuild the team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Tigers revel in pains of evolution

It is a twist of fate that two different Asia Cups have been witness to two stages in Bangladesh's evolution. Along with evolution, of course, comes growth amid turmoil and Bangladesh have had much of both in the 2012 tournament and the ongoing one in the UAE where they will contest for the trophy against overwhelming favourites India.
Mashrafe, you deserve it

It would not be an injustice in any way if the Cricket Gods allow Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to lift the Asia Cup trophy with his firm hands at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today to bring smiles on the faces of the millions of cricket-crazy people in our country.
Tigers' heart against India's pedigree

When Bangladesh take on India in the Asia Cup final in Dubai today, it will be a battle between two sides who have come to the title clash through highly contrasting routes and with widely divergent levels of confidence.
Mash embracing the chaos

Performers, be they on stage, in front of television cameras or on the field of play, sometimes talk about 'love the mess' -- in other words revelling in the scenario when things spin out of control
Beating India is not impossible: Mushfiqur

Before the start of the tournament Bangladesh players had been saying that their target was to win the Asia Cup with captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza getting the players and telling them during session that the team was not going to the UAE just to make up the numbers.
‘Playing Pakistan is just another match’

Even as everyone who witnessed the match were saying that beating Pakistan with the odds firmly stacked against Bangladesh was one of the country’s better cricketing achievements, player-of-the-match Mushfiqur Rahim insists that it was just another match for them.
‘The win matters, not the ton’

While it may seem that being the first Bangladesh player to suffer the misfortune of getting out on 99 in international cricket would disappoint a player who strives endlessly for personal excellence, Mushfiqur Rahim is not bothered with the near-miss after Bangladesh won the Asia Cup match against Pakistan by 37 runs
When at war, kill or be killed: Mushfiqur

Bangladesh draw on wartime philosophy to overcome the potentially crippling losses of Shakib Al hasan and Tamim Iqbal to emerge victorious over Pakistan in the Asia Cup
Wounded Tigers roar into final

Bangladesh overcame a slew of obstacles and the crushing blow of ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan being ruled out on the morning of the match to achieve one of their best results -- a 37-run win over two-time champions Pakistan in their Asia Cup match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
A needless crisis

An already unlucky Asia Cup went from bad to worse for Bangladesh as before the most important match, yesterday's virtual semifinal against Pakistan, trump card Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of the tournament.
Mushfiqur keeps Tigers afloat

The Bangladesh innings of 239 all out against Pakistan yesterday, leaving overs unused for the fourth time in five matches of the
Injured Shakib flying home

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the Asia Cup and is on his way back to Dhaka with a flare-up of his long-standing left little finger injury, team manager Khaled Mahmud informs
'Shakib can't grip the bat'

Ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has not been able to grip the bat over the last two days, resulting in him missing out on the crucial Bangladesh-Pakistan encounter in Abu Dhabi, team manager Khaled Mahmud informs
Shakib out, three changes as Tigers bat

Bangladesh suffer a major blow in their virtual Asia Cup semifinal against Pakistan as ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is ruled out of the match with a flare-up of his longstanding left little finger injury
Feeling the heat, but up for the battle

The heat is a dominant topic here in the UAE, and while it is true that the mercury is the same for all four remaining teams in the ongoing Asia Cup, Bangladesh would be justified in saying that they are the most disadvantaged.
Can Tigers find a way again?

The Asia Cup so far has been an exercise in making lemonade out of lemons for Bangladesh. From the first match, during which opener Tamim Iqbal was felled by a fractured left hand because of which he eventually had to leave the tournament, Bangladesh have had to deal with the heat in the UAE, which the country's cricketers have not experienced since the 1995 Asia Cup, and tough scheduling.
Tigers braced for virtual semi

When Bangladesh meet Pakistan in the last Asia Cup Super Four game, it will be a virtual semifinal between two teams who have had similar paths to this point. Both have won two matches out of four so far.
Doubt over Shakib

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's availability is in doubt ahead of today's virtual semifinal against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Can Tigers reach Asia Cup 2018 final?

Will Bangladesh national cricket team seal their entry to yet another dream final of Asia Cup? Sports reporters Ariful Islam Roney and Masud Parvez talk to The Daily Star’s Ekush Tapader on Bangladesh team’s possibility to play the Asia Cup 2018 final and different other aspects. Watch the Star Live video to know more.
Nazmul's place under the scanner

Changes may be in the offing for Bangladesh when they take on Pakistan on Wednesday in what will be a virtual Asia Cup semifinal at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. They won their last match against Afghanistan in thrilling fashion Sunday when Mustafizur Rahman conceded just four runs when Afghanistan needed eight to win in the last over.
‘Possible because of your love’ – Mash hails Tigers’ supporters

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza reached a new milestone during the match against Afghanistan on September 23, becoming the first bowler from Bangladesh to reach 250 ODI wickets. The cricketer thanked the Tigers’ supporters via a Facebook post, saying that it was the love of the supporters that kept him going during harsh times.