Tigers give Pakistan a 5-wkt thumping

Bangladesh won a riveting match against Pakistan by five wickets to secure their chances of reaching the final against India in the Asia Cup 2016.

Mahmudullah struck the winning runs with five balls left in the match. His 22 from 15 and Mashrafe’s 12 from seven balls ensured no more hiccups after the dismissal of Shakib.

Soumya top-scored with 48 runs.

Pakistan lost the match in the 19th over bowled by Mohammad Sami. Sami bowled two no-balls and conceded 15 runs to deny his side a victory today.

Mohammad Amir was the best bowler for his side as he took two wickets for 26 runs in four overs. Mohammad Irfan, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took a wicket each.

Mohammad Amir took his second wicket during the 18th over when his length ball on middle and leg crashed onto the stumps as Shakib Al Hasan missed his scoop over fine leg. Shakib fell for eight runs, and the home crowd was stunned into silence.

Bangladesh lost their fourth wicket at the worst possible time in the 15th over. Mushfiqur played a reverse sweep but missed the ball that was fired into leg by Shoaib Malik.

Mushfiqur managed 12 runs from 15 balls, but was not lucky with the lbw decision as replays showed the ball had pitched slightly outside leg stump.

Mohammad Amir came back in the 14th over to give his side an important breakthrough against the run of play.

Amir brought Soumya Sarkar’s sparkling innings to an end with a beautiful in-swinging yorker. Sarkar was late to jam his bat down as the ball squeezed through to peg back middle stump.

Soumya scored 48 from 48 balls with five fours and a six to his name.

Pakistan skipper Afridi brought back his team into the contest when he took the important wicket of Sabbir in the ninth over.

Afridi fired in a ball that had drift, Sabbir stepped out and pushed outside the line, only to see the cherry deflect off the pad onto the stumps.

Sabbir scored 14 from 15 balls with a four.

Bangladesh were rocked early in their chase of 130 when the tall Pakistani bowler Mohammad Irfan got the better of Tamim Iqbal in the second over.

Tamim looked to play across the line to a delivery that was dead straight on middle, and once he missed there was little chance of him surviving the strong appeal. He fell for seven runs.

Earlier, unbeaten 58 from 42 from Sarfaraz pushed Pakistan to a par total of 129 after 20 overs against Bangladesh under the lights at Mirpur.

He got ample support from Shoaib Malik who scored 41. However, the rest of the Pakistani batters failed to fire under the disciplined bowling performance from the Tigers.

For Bangladesh, Al-Amin took three wickets for 25 in four overs. Arafat Sunny captured two while Mashrafe and Taskin picked a wicket each.

Pakistan lost their seventh wicket when Anwar Ali perished in the last ball of their innings.

Pakistan lost their sixth wicket, that too of their captain Boom Boom Afridi for a two-ball duck in the 18th over bowled by Al-Amin Hossain.

Afridi mistimed a full toss on middle, and picked up the fielder at deep midwicket. He's out again within the bat of an eyelid!

Arafat Sunny gave Bangladesh the upper hand when he broke the fifth wicket partnership between Shoaib and Sarfaraz in the 17th over.

The stand that brought Pakistan back into the game produced 70 runs in 8.2 overs. Shoaib was instrumental in the partnership, and scored 41 from 30 balls with five fours and a six.

Pakistan crawled back into the match through their fifth wicket partnership between Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Both of them rotated the strike, and pushed the Bangladesh fielders hard. As they got their eyes in, they began to open up their shoulders and score quickly.

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed gave his team a breakthrough in the ninth over, and Pakistan seemed to find themselves in a rut.

Umar Akmal was dismissed for four runs when he sliced the ball from Taskin towards deep point where Shakib Al Hasan took the catch quite easily.

Bangladesh fans are dancing in the aisles at Mirpur!

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe placed his team in the driver's seat after he took the big wicket of Mohammad Hafeez in the fifth over to the elation of his teammates.

Hafeez was struck on middle and leg near the thigh, and replays showed the ball would have carried over the stumps. Umpire raised his finger after a belated appeal. Hafeez fell for two.

Tigers calling all the shots...

Arafat Sunny of Bangladesh gave his side another early breakthrough, when he got the better of Sharjeel Khan for 10 runs in the fourth over.

Sharjeel went for the slog over mid wicket but missed the ball from Sunny, and the middle stump was disturbed. A wrong choice of shot for the batter!

Bangladesh opening bowler Al-Amin picked up his 8th wicket of Asia Cup 2016 and gave his side a fantastic start by sending back Khurram Manzoor for one in the 2nd over.

The home crowd at Mirpur erupted early in jubilation as Pakistan lost their first wicket, and their batting woes continued at the top.

Pakistan skipper Boom Boom Afridi won the toss and opted to bat first given the conditions at Mirpur stadium under the lights against Bangladesh led by Mashrafe Mortaza in the eighth match of Asia Cup 2016

Bangladesh and Pakistan are close to that stage of the Asia Cup when a place in the final is the only thing in their mind.

Pakistan, who opened their account against UAE on Monday night after getting walloped by India, have a lot to do, and the first thing will be to beat Bangladesh, who are ahead of them by two points after their wins over UAE and Sri Lanka, and will have a clearer path to the final if they can win this contest.

Bangladesh were on fire against Sri Lanka, putting aside their T20 conservatism and taking the game by the collar. Sabbir Rahman's brilliant 80 off 54 balls led the way, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah providing a fine finish.

With the ball, Shakib did well again while Mashrafe Mortaza, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman bowled critical overs with much confidence to stop Sri Lanka from overtaking their mediocre score.

The last of those names, Mustafizur, is missing due to a side strain, which will be a big blow to the home side. Mustafizur took two wickets on debut against Pakistan last year and has been bowling well lately too.

But every cloud has a silver lining. Playing without Mustafizur creates a chance for Bangladesh to enhance their self-belief and reputation -- a good team cannot depend on an individual.

One could not disagree with Hathurusingha when the Sri Lankan said: "It's very hard to say if the other bowlers can do what Mustafizur is doing. As you know he is an exceptional talent. I am sure others will do what they can do well, that's what I am hoping."

On the other hand, Bangladesh's batting will be bolstered by the return of Tamim Iqbal, after he returned to Dhaka from Bangkok where his wife gave birth to their first child. Tamim is in form too, having made 267 runs in six innings during the PSL last month.

Pakistan will bank a lot on their bowling attack, especially Mohammad Amir who lit up the Asia Cup with his spells against India and UAE. They will expect more from the likes of Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan, and the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who was tonked around the park by UAE.

Pakistan's main concern will be their batting line-up, particularly their top order, which did not do well in the first two matches. Much will depend on Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik, and on Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmed down the order.

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed

Pakistan

Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Khurram Manzoor, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (Wicketkeeper), Shahid Afridi (Captain), Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Irfan

Will cricket fans of Bangladesh witness their heroes face Australia for a two-Test series? Photo: STAR