Can Bangladesh be ‘third time lucky’?
For many Bangladesh fans, the words ‘Asia Cup’ is synonymous to one of their biggest heartbreaks in cricket. The mere reference of the tournament brings back ‘so close yet so far’ memories of the 2012 Asia Cup final, when the Tigers lost to archrivals Pakistan by just two runs.
After losing all the four games to finish bottom of the table in the next edition in 2014, including a 32-run loss to Afghanistan, they did bounce back in 2016, making it to the final. It was another sad end, they were humbled by India as the neighbours took home the title, the only time the tournament was played in the T20 format.
However, it is a brand new tournament that starts on Saturday with a game against five-time champions Sri Lanka, plagued by injuries, and Steve Rhodes’ boys will be eyeing their first ever Asia Cup title.
India and Pakistan look set for the Super Four from Group A, as the third team Hong Kong do not have the muscle to overpower the two giants.
Bangladesh’s group, on the other hand, is very tricky with Afghanistan taking big leaps over the last few years. The Afghans humbled the Tigers by handing them a whitewash in a T20 series in June, but the Mashrafe Mortaza-led team will find inspiration in the fact that they had won the last ODI series between the teams.
It is a tournament where the Tigers cannot afford a slip up and they should be confident with the five seniors—Mashrafe, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah—all in good form.
It is probably the last Asia Cup the five will be playing together in the ODI format (the 2020 Asia Cup will be a T20 affair because the World Cup in 2021 will be in the shortest version of the game), which will add more hunger to their fellow Tigers.
India are without captain Virat Kohli, but apart from his omission, they are the strongest team of the tournament on paper. Still stinging from the humiliation in England, the Rohit Sharma-led team will have nothing but the trophy on their mind.
Pakistan, probably the world’s most unpredictable team, will aim to replicate their 2017 Champions Trophy success, when they toyed with India in the final. Yet, India look favourites to edge their archrivals to the title.
But if Bangladesh make it to the final, with the recalled Mominul Haque showing his class and Mustafizur Rahman finding his form alongside the ‘big five’, they can just be ‘third time lucky’.
