Can Bangladesh reach Asia Cup final? Saif Hassan opines
What's the story
Bangladesh's cricketer Saif Hassan has expressed confidence in his team's ability to reach the final of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup. His statement comes after a stellar performance against Sri Lanka in Dubai, where he scored a quick-fire half-century and helped Bangladesh secure a four-wicket win. The victory marked a strong start for Bangladesh in the Super Four stage of the tournament.
Tournament outlook
'Definitely we are confident of reaching the final'
Saif, who opened the innings and scored 61 off just 45 balls, said he was confident of reaching the final. "Yes, definitely we are confident of reaching the final," he said. "Before coming here, everyone believed that we would play the final." He added that they are one step ahead but still have two more matches to go.
Match strategy
Saif on counter-attacking approach
After Tanzid Tamim was dismissed for a duck, Saif and Litton Das counter-attacked to stabilize the innings. They put up a 59-run partnership that kept Bangladesh ahead of the required run rate. Saif further added 54 runs with fellow half-centurion Towhid Hridoy ( Saif said their plan was to counter-attack after Tanzid's wicket fell. "There wasn't a very specific plan, but we held a team meeting," he added.
Bowling praise
Mustafizur Rahman praised by Saif
Saif also praised Mustafizur Rahman for his stellar performance with the ball. "Mustafizur Bhai's bowling is always good. He has been in very good shape for the last few months," he said. "Today, he gave away such few runs and took wickets at vital moments He is a World Class Bowler, so these situations are easy for him."