Bangladesh ‘A’ eliminated from Emerging Asia Cup after dramatic match against SL

|| CF DESK ||

Bangladesh ‘A’ team started the Emerging Asia Cup with a victory over Hong Kong but couldn't carry the momentum, losing to Afghanistan ‘A’ in their second match. They had a chance to reach the semifinals with a win against Sri Lanka ‘A,’ but fell short, losing by 19 runs, which marked the end of their tournament journey.

With this win, Sri Lanka advanced to the semifinals alongside Afghanistan. Both teams finished with four points from three matches, but Sri Lanka topped Group ‘A’ due to a superior net run rate, while Bangladesh ended in third place with just two points.

Batting first in Al Amerat, Sri Lanka began aggressively despite losing momentum midway. A crucial 64-run stand between Pawan Ratnayake and Sahan Arachchige for the fourth wicket helped them post a competitive total of 161 for 7. Pawan scored the highest with 42 runs, while Sahan contributed 30.

For Bangladesh, Ripon Mondol and Rejaur Rahman Raja took two wickets each.

Chasing 162, Bangladesh got off to a strong start with aggressive batting from Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon, putting up 41 runs in just 22 balls. Emon scored 24 off 10 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, before getting out.

Saif accelerated the innings but retired hurt after scoring 29 off 20 balls during the final over of the powerplay. At 59-0 after six overs, Bangladesh looked promising.

However, Saif’s departure led to a collapse, with Bangladesh losing wickets regularly while the required run rate climbed.

Abu Hider Rony remained unbeaten on 38, but with little support from the other end, Bangladesh finished at 142-7. Towhid Hridoy (12) was the only other player to reach double figures.

In the final moments, Abu Hider attempted to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive, hitting three sixes in the last two overs. Controversy arose in the 18th over when Hider’s six off Ehsan Malinga was deemed a dead ball due to field placement before the delivery. Hider and the Bangladesh dugout protested, but the on-field umpire's decision stood, nullifying the six.

To win the match, Abu Hider needed to score 24 runs in the final over. However, Bangladesh managed to collect only 3 runs from that over.