Bangladesh to meet Pakistan in the final

Courtesy: International Cricket Council

India were on Tuesday night knocked out of the Asia Cup cricket tournament after minnows Bangladesh continued their giant-killing act by upsetting Sri Lanka by five wickets in the last league match here.

Chasing a revised target of 212 after a rain interruption, the spirited hosts held their nerve to make their maiden entry into the summit showdown of the tournament where they will meet Pakistan on Thursday.

Nasir Hossain (36 not out) hit the winning boundary straight down the ground as the home crowd at the jam-packed Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium went into a state of frenzy.

Tamim Iqbal (59 off 57 balls; 9×4), Shakib Al Hasan (56 off 46; 7×4), Hossain (36 off 61; 3×4) and Mahmadullah (32 not out off 33; 3×4) were the notable batting heroes for Bangladesh who recorded their second consecutive upset wins after having beaten India last Friday.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka were all out for 232 in 49.5 overs with Chamara Kupugedegera (62 off 92; 4×4), Lahiru Thirimanne (48 off 73) and Upul Tharanga (48 off 44) making significant contributions.

But the target was reduced to 212 in 40 overs after a heavy downpour during the innings break, which lasted for a little more than an hour.

India needed a Sri Lankan victory to qualify for the final but now will have to pack their bags and return home.

They had to pay the price for the shock defeat against Bangladesh.

Prior to Tuesday’s match, Bangladesh were on four points and India on eight. But the hosts’ win shut the door on India as they had defeated the Men in Blue earlier in the meet.

As per the rules of the tournament, if two teams are tied on points, head-to-head record is considered.

Sri Lanka had a chance as Bangladesh were off to a bad start, losing three wickets with just 40 runs on the board.

But openers Iqbal and Shakib staged a remarkable comeback, adding 76 runs for the fourth wicket in just over 12 overs.