The situation worsened for Bangladesh after a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka, making their path to the next round much more complicated.
In their final group match against Afghanistan, a win alone won’t be enough, they will also have to rely on the result of the Afghanistan–Sri Lanka clash. Should Sri Lanka beat Hong Kong in their upcoming game, their qualification will be virtually secured.
As a result, Bangladesh now face a difficult equation. Despite the six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka, the team hasn’t given up hope of progressing. After the match, Jaker Ali repeated that they came to the Asia Cup intending to become champions and would not step back from that mindset.
“There’s no question of losing hope. We will play to win, and the mentality will remain the same. We came into this match with a winning mindset; it didn’t happen. But in the next match, we will again play to win. We didn’t come here just to participate; we came to become champions. Losing one game doesn’t mean we lose hope,” Jaker said.
At Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh’s innings got off to a disastrous start as they lost two wickets in the opening two overs without scoring a run.
At 53/5, they looked to be out of the contest. However, Jaker and Shamim Hossain fought back to guide Bangladesh to a total of 139. Jaker later urged the team’s batters to be more cautious in the next match.
He explained, “I think the opening and No. 3 batting positions are very important for us. We are aware of that, and the players must be cautious. Playing in the powerplay doesn’t mean you have to hit every ball for a boundary. Taking quick singles like ‘drop and run’ is equally vital. I’m confident the boys will consider these aspects and deliver something better in the next game.”
