Asia Cup 2018
Mushfiq notches crucial ton to keep Bangladesh in the fray
||Desk Report||
The Asia Cup 2018 started with the toss ahead of its opening game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Winning the toss Bangladesh chose to bat first on the batting-friendly track of the Dubai International Stadium. However, the Tigers stumbled in the very beginning as Lasith Malinga started firing on all cylinders to mark his comeback. The pacer collected a brace in the last two deliveries of the first over, dismissing Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan for a duck.
Tamim Iqbal, too, retired hurt in the second over, adding to the miseries of the Mashrafe-led men. He has now been ruled out of the tournament due to the injury.
Following Tamim’s departure, Mushfiqur Rahim took a cautious approach, while Mohammad Mithun got favored by luck in the beginning of his innings. Together they restored the innings with a crucial 131-run partnership. Each of them also picked up a half-century, ut Bangladesh again suffered a mini-collapse as soon as Malinga returned to the attack.
Mithun led the procession back to the pavilion as Malinga dismissed him on 63. The same bowler also dismissed Mosaddek Hossain before Amila Aponso bagged Mahmudullah Riyad's wicket in the middle.
Bangladesh could not recover from that collapse and now it is the last batsman, Mustafizur Rahman, on the crease along with Mushfiqur Rahim who so far has showed the right temperament while also getting a century under his belt.
Score
Ban – 210/8 (44 Overs)
Squads
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera(w), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews(c), Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Amila Aponso, Dilruwan Perera
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman