Asia Cup 2018: Bangladesh's journey to the final

The last game of the Super Four stage - between Pakistan and Bangladesh - had become the virtual semi-final of the tournament. Despite the topsy-turvy form of Pakistan, most of the cricketing experts were favouring them. Cricket fans, too, were expecting an India vs Pakistan final. But, as it turned out, there won't be another India versus Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup after all. A spirited Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 37 runs to meet India in the final.

Bangladesh will appear in an Asia Cup final for the third time in the last four editions. This is a testament to their ever-improving temperament. They are now a force to be reckoned with in international cricket. Here, in this article, we will take a look at Bangladesh's journey to the final.

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 1st Match, Group B

Enter c — Mushfiqur Rahim played his career's best knock of 144 to pull Bangladesh out of trouble.

Bangladesh started their campaign in style and beat the five-time champions Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 137 runs. After winning the toss, their captain Mashrafe Mortaza opted to bat first and what a horrible start they had. Lasith Malinga, playing an international match for the first time in a year, wreaked havoc in the very first over and sent Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan back to the pavilion with ducks. Bangladesh were reeling at 1 for 2 and at this crucial moment, their ever-reliable Mushfiqur Rahim came to the team's rescue. He rebuilt the innings with Mohammad Mithun and added 133 runs for the third wicket. Rahim played his career's best innings of 144 and helped Bangladesh to put 261 runs on the board.

In reply, the Sri Lankan team never really got going in the chase. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually folded with 124 on the scoreboard. Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets each for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, 6th Match, Group B

Enter ca — Afghanistan were clinical in this match

In their second outing, Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan by 136 runs. Asghar Afghan won the toss and opted to bat first. With the help of Hashmatullah Shahidi's composed 58 and Rashid Khan's quick-fire 57*, Afghanistan posted a total of 255 for 7 in 50 overs. Shakib Al Hasan led the Bangladesh's bowling performance and returned with figures of 4 for 42.

Chasing 256 runs to win, Bangladesh didn't start well and lost their openers Nazmul Hossain and Liton Das in very early. Shakib Al Hasan stayed there for a while but wickets kept falling from the other end. Only three batsmen reached the double-digit scores and the team somehow breached the 100-runs mark. Among Afghanistani bowlers, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib and Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked two wickets each.

Bangladesh vs India, Super Four, Match 1

Enter — Ravindra Jadeja had a fairytale comeback picking up four wickets

Bangladesh faced defending champions India in their first match in the Super Four stage and were thrashed by seven wickets. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat first. They once again lost their openers cheaply and it became obvious that the team was missing Tamim Iqbal at top of the order. Ravindra Jadeja made a dream comeback to the ODI side and returned with the figures of 4 for 29. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets each and Bangladesh were back in the pavilion for a total of 173 runs.

Chasing 174 was never going to be difficult for the star-studded Indian batting line-up and they did it quite comfortably with 82 balls to spare. Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten on 83 while Shikhar Dhawan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a useful 40 and 33 respectively.

Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Super Four, Match 4

Bangladesh were up against Afghanistan for the second time in less than three days. Both teams needed a win to remain alive in the tournament. Bangladesh's captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and decided to bat first. The top order once again crumbled and they were 18 for 2 in the 6th over. Liton Das and Mithun added a valuable 63 runs for the 3rd wicket to pull them out of early trouble. Later, a century partnership between Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes guided Bangladesh to a competitive 249 for 7 in 50 overs.

Chasing 250 to win, Afghanistan also lost their first two wickets early. After that, Mohammad Shahzad and Shahidi tried to stabilize the innings by adding 63 runs for the 3rd wicket. Shahidi was later accompanied by Ashghar Afghan and Mohammad Nabi who kept the target in reach. At last, Afghanistan needed 8 runs to win off final over. Mustafizur had the ball and he lived up to his reputation as one of the best finishers with the ball in the world. Afghanistan were short by three runs.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan, Super Four, Match 6

Ent — Mushfiqur Rahim pulled off an amazing rescue act to guide his team a competitive total

This match had become a virtual semi-final with the winner meeting India in the final. Bangladesh were playing without their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. Mortaza won the toss and opted to bat first. Once again, it was the same old story for Bangladesh as they were 3 down for just 12. It left Mushfiqur needing to pull off another rescue act, and true to the reputation he set about that task with the grim determination. He guided young Mohammad Mithun in a 144-run partnership for the 4th wicket which helped Bangladesh to reach a fighting total of 239.

Chasing 240, Pakistan were slight favourites at the halfway mark, but Bangladeshi bowlers had some other plans. Mustafizur and Mehidy Hasan were brilliant in the early overs and they reduced Pakistan to 18 for 3. Pakistan never truly recoverd from these early blows and fell short of the target by 37 runs. Imam-ul-Haq was the lone warrior from the Pakistani side who never got the support he needed.

Bangladesh will meet India in the Asia Cup Final on Friday.