Mushfiq, Tamim heroes of the day
All wins are equal, but some wins are more equal than others. Had George Orwell seen Saturday’s game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, he would probably have said that.
Bangladesh recorded one of those ‘more equal’ wins on the day as Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal fought like the bravest of warriors to help the team to a 137-run win in the inaugural match of the 2018 Asia Cup.
The beginning was not as easy as the result suggests. Lasith Malinga removed Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan in the day’s fifth and sixth balls and in the next over Tamim had to retire hurt with his left wrist injured.
The ever reliable Mushfiq and Mohammad Mithun, playing his fourth ODI, then saved the team from a big disaster.
Both the batsmen were dropped by the Sri Lankan fielders, but they made the best of their chances, making 131 in a remarkable partnership.
Malinga put an end to Mithun’s beautiful 68-ball 63-run innings, adorned with five fours and two sixes, to break the stand and the fall of Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain in the next over brought the Lions slightly back to the game.
Mushfiq did not care, punishing the bowlers whenever he could to keep the run wheel going. Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 15 while captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza added 11 and Mustafizur Rahman 10, yet Bangladesh were only on 229 when the ninth wicket fell.
It was meant to be the end of the Bangladesh innings, but Tamim probably took one of the bravest decisions of his life to come to the crease again, to bat with only his weaker right hand.
He faced only one ball now, but his stay at the wicket helped Mushfiq to hammer three more fours and three more sixes and two singles, 32 runs to be more precise.
In the end, Bangladesh were all out for a healthy 261, with Mushfiq hitting his highest ODI score, 144.
The wicketkeeper-batsman slammed 11 fours and four sixes in his sublime 150-ball innings, certainly one of the bests in the team’s ODI history.
That overshadowed Malinga’s bowling figure, the paceman took four wickets conceding just 23 runs in 10 overs.
After the heroism Mushfiq and Tamim displayed, it was kind of predictable that the Tigers could not be overpowered on the day.
Sri Lanka did start the chase brightly though, Upul Tharanga hitting 22 in 1.5 overs, but when Mustafizur Rahman trapped Kusal Mendis in the last ball of the second over, the tension was eased.
It was all Bangladesh afterwards, as the Sri Lanka batsmen could not find a way past the lethal Tigers bowling.
Dilruwan Perera was the top-scorer for the losing side, 29, while Tharanga was second-best, with 27.
Mashrafe, Mustafiz and Miraz bagged two wickets each while Shakib, Rubel Hossain and Mosaddek claimed one apiece to make their contribution to a memorable win.
Mushfiq was predictably adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for his brilliant century.
The Tigers will play their second and last game of the group stages against Afghanistan on 20 September while Sri Lanka will face the Afghans three days earlier, on the 17th.