Asia Cup Super 4: Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets

Bangladesh's story in world cricket has been marred by a history of near misses. A premature celebration against MS Dhoni's India in the T20 World Cup 2016, Dinesh Karthik's incredible heist in the Nidahas Trophy, and more recently, failing to chase down just 4 runs against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 — Bangladesh have numerous incidents of losing their heads in crunch moments.

And yet they refuse to learn. On Saturday, September 20, things nearly unravelled once again as Bangladesh struggled to chase down a 169-run target against Sri Lanka, despite needing one run from the last 5 balls.

Chasing 169 runs in the first Super 4 match of the Asia Cup 2025, Bangladesh nearly did everything right. Opener Saif Hassan brought a touch of class to the T20I format, hitting a superb knock of 61 runs off 45 balls. Hassan had Litton Das (23 off 16) and Towhid Hridoy (58 off 37) for company as they cruised to 157 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 18 overs.

With just 12 needed from 12 balls, disaster struck when Towhid Hridoy lost his wicket off a rank full toss that hit him inside the thigh. However, even at that point, things were fairly under control as Bangladesh only needed 5 runs to win in the final over of the match.

Easy-peasy, right? No. Not really. It is Bangladesh after all.

With 5 needed off the final 6, Jaker Ali pulled a short ball for four on the first ball of the final over. Jaker,



hoping to finish the match with a bang, tried to step out and hit Dasun Shanaka for a six in the very next ball. Jaker lost his shape and was bowled out in the second ball of the over.

Any other team in the world would perhaps block the ball and pick up a single to finish the game. No, not Bangladesh.

Mahedi Hasan, next in, tried to slap a short ball through mid-wicket and ended up edging the ball back to the keeper. The umpire called it not out, but DRS was there to save Sri Lanka's blushes.

The equation now looked very different. Bangladesh stuck at one run to win, with now only 2 balls remaining. The momentum was with Sri Lanka, and they were ready to pounce upon it.

The win against Sri Lanka will be a huge boost for Bangladesh in the Super 4. Remember, a finals spot for India is assured, given the gulf of quality between them and the rest. Bangladesh, with their win against Sri Lanka, have made sure that they take a giant stride towards the final. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are in a spot of bother, given they now have to beat India in the Super 4 to qualify for the summit clash of the tournament.

And that’s exactly what a great tournament needs — a bit of unpredictability, a dose of drama, and a proper cricketing contest. On Saturday, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka delivered just that, reminding everyone why this rivalry might just be the most compelling one in the Asia Cup today.