Asia Cup 2016 in Bangladesh, 19th Feb - 6th March

Tournament 24th Feb-6th March 

Match 1: India 166/6 (20/20 ov)
Bangladesh 121/7 (20/20 ov)
India won by 45 runs

Rohit Sharma is a one-day nerd. He takes his time at the start, gets accustomed to conditions and cashes in only once he is set. India were sent in on a noticeably green pitch in Mirpur and the ball was nipping about. Bangladesh, armed with four fast bowlers, made the test as difficult as they could with tight lines around the off stump and moving the ball both ways. Shikhar Dhawan failed. Virat Kohli failed. Suresh Raina failed. Rohit could have failed too - he had 21 hard-earned runs when he was dropped by Shakib Al Hasan - but he did what good batsmen do and cashed in. Soon, even questions meant to flummox him - like Mustafizur Rahman - became easy. He mistimed one of Mustafizur's delivery for a six over square leg en route to a pristine 83 off 55 balls which led India past Bangladesh in their Asia Cup T20 opener.

Rohit's form is old news for India. His innings was clearly the difference between the two sides, but the most heartening outcome from the Mirpur match was Hardik Pandya passing his own exam with flying colours. He was promoted to No. 6, ahead of MS Dhoni who was declared fit to play even if he had to use a back brace while keeping wicket, and matched Rohit's strike rate. What was remarkable is that Rohit usually goes beserk after he has bedded into an innings, but Pandya was able to reel off boundaries - five in 11 balls - to thrust India's score from the possible to the improbable. They had been 97 for 4 with only 5.1 overs left and finished at 166 for 6.

That total was placed under a little trouble from Sabbir Rahman, who struck 44 off 32 balls, but the other end became a revolving door of batsmen and by the end, Bangladesh's concerns were more about batting the 20 overs out than chasing the total down. With each passing minute, they would have felt sore at what could have been. Had Shakib taken Rohit's slice at point in the 11th over, India would have been stuck with a misfiring Yuvraj Singh, a relatively untested Pandya, the back-spasm hit Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.

But Rohit was still around, and Taskin Ahmed was smarting from the missed opportunity. That pain would only increase as Rohit caressed the very next ball to the third man fence, then smashed a short and wide one over point for six and finished the hat-trick with a little help from Al-Amin Hossain misfielding at third man again. After his reprieve, Rohit struck at 229.62. Pandya came in and went at 172.22. Their partnership for the fifth wicket reached 50 off 17 balls and was broken only in the final over after 61 runs in 27 balls.

Such a finish seemed too good to be true when Taskin and Mustafizur - both bowling at over 140 kph - used the early help to great effect. The pressure they created fetched wickets at the other end as Al-Amin got a fuller delivery to dart back into Dhawan and bowl him through the gate in the second over.

It was a brilliant start for Bangladesh , not least because Al-Amin usually does not bowl the one that comes back into left-handers. Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, brought himself on in the fifth over and immediately got rid of Kohli. With the score on 22 for 1, Kohli tried to break the shackles by targeting the slowest bowler among the opposition. The problem was this was not quite the pitch to drive on the up in the early stages of an innings because even if the moment had died down, there was considerable bounce. Kohli skewed a catch to mid-off and walked off with an accusatory stare at the splice of his bat. Raina's dismissal also typified panic-stricken batting. With the pacers holding sway, he ran at the second ball he faced from the spinner and was bowled.

Bangladesh's discipline as a unit until this point was thorough and unyielding. The bowlers kept Yuvraj to 15 off 16 balls as well, but the fielders did not match their intensity. It was a mistake that ended up costing them the match for they should never have let India get to 166.

That total was more than enough to inspire a fine new-ball spell from Ashish Nehra, who cleaned up Mohammad Mithun and soon after, Jasprit Bumrah shocked Soumya Sarkar with extra bounce. Pandya's medium pace proved handy again and R Ashwin's offspin tied Bangladesh's middle order in such knots that the wicket he got - Imrul Kayes caught slog sweeping on the square leg boundary - seemed destined. Nehra came back in the closing stages and knocked over Mahmudullah and Mortaza in two balls to finish with 3 for 23 and India were toasting a fine, all-round T20 performance


Match 2: Sri Lanka 129/8 (20/20 ov)
United Arab Emirates 115/9 (20/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 14 runs


At the innings break, UAE would have had hopes of a fourth straight win in the tournament, having restricted Sri Lanka to 129 for 8. Those hopes, however, were snuffed out in the first over as Lasith Malinga struck twice to wreck UAE's chase and ultimately lead his side to a 14-run win. Malinga marked his return to international cricket with a haul of 4 for 26.

The UAE bowlers had done well to restrict Sri Lanka for a less than average score of 129 in Mirpur. In fact the 129 for 8 was one run less than what UAE captain Amjad Javed had said he wanted to restrict his opponents to, after he decided to field. But their batsmen were not as inspired as their bowlers and were shut out for 115 for 9 in 20 overs.

Malinga, playing his first competitive match since November 2015, trapped Rohan Mustafa leg-before off the first ball of the chase with a fast, straight and full ball that was only destined to hit the stumps. Off the last ball of the first over, Mohammad Shahzad was duped by a 113.7 kph slower ball, and was bowled for 1.

Nuwan Kulasekara got into the act, too, removing Muhammad Kaleem and Muhammad Usman in the fourth over. Kaleem lofted one needlessly to mid-off before Usman's uncharacteristic slog ended in a simple catch to Chamara Kapugedera at first slip. UAE finished the fourth over at 16 for 4.

Shaiman Anwar quickly counter-attacked in the next over, striking Angelo Mathews for fours through midwicket before Swapnil Patil played a pull off Mathews for a beautiful six over the same region.

UAE, however, had more bad news around the corner. Rangana Herath, playing his first T20 international since the 2014 World T20, was brought into the attack and straightaway removed UAE's last hope, Anwar, with an arm ball that took a thin outside edge on its way to the keeper.

Herath then removed Saqlain Haider in his next over, reducing UAE to 47 for 6 at the halfway mark of their innings. But Patil held firm, hitting Herath for a six, playing a late cut off Milinda Siriwardana for a boundary and taking two fours off Dushmantha Chameera in the 15th over to bring the equation to 53 off the last five overs. Patil kept trying to find the boundaries but he, too, fell to a Malinga slower ball, giving the bowler a simple return catch. Patil top-scored with 37 off 36 balls with the three fours and two sixes, and he added 38 runs for the seventh wicket with Javed, who scored 13 off 18 balls.

Malinga completed his four-wicket haul when he removed Mohammad Naveed in his last over. Kulasekara took 3 for 10 while Herath finished with two.

The first half of the game, however, was an altogether different picture as Javed took three wickets while Naveed and Shahzad picked up two each. Mustafa also took one wicket as Sri Lanka slumped after a strong start.

Sri Lanka had raced to 72 for 1 in the first ten overs but added only 57 in the next ten, for the loss of seven wickets. The first few wickets were down to their eagerness to find the big hits but UAE also curbed the runs at the death, conceding only three fours in the last five overs. They had started well enough with openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal adding 68 runs before the former was easily caught at the deep square leg boundary to give Javed his first wicket.

Dilshan was hit on the hand and on the helmet in his usual effort to destabilise the bowlers. Siriwardana, who like Chandimal was given a batting promotion, fell to Javed's short ball two overs later, with Saqlain Haider taking a great running catch at the deep midwicket boundary.

From 79 for 2 in the 12th over, Sri Lanka could have been looking at 200 but Chandimal fell one ball after raising his 50 off 38 deliveries. His knock included seven fours and the only six of Sri Lanka's innings. Shahzad took a tumbling catch at midwicket on top of the 30-yard ring to send back Chandimal and give Javed his third wicket.

Dasun Shanaka gave Anwar a simple catch at mid-off to make it 98 for 4, and Sri Lanka faltered after Mathews fell leg-before to Mustafa and Shehan Jayasuriya was bowled trying to play a second successive scoop. Shahzad snapped up the wickets of Kapugedera and Kulasekara in the last over to give UAE the momentum and confidence they needed to cause an upset.

That, however, was a bridge too far for the side, who will now look forward to their match against Bangladesh on Friday.


Match 3: Bangladesh 133/8 (20/20 ov)
United Arab Emirates 82 (17.4/20 ov)
Bangladesh won by 51 runs

Like Sri Lanka on Thursday, Bangladesh were given a scare by UAE before their efficient bowling attack led the hosts to an easy win in Mirpur. Mahmudullah's last-gasp effort with the bat and two wickets were backed up by Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza. Their wickets shook the opposition's confidence to a point from which they never recovered.

The win keeps the hosts alive in the Asia Cup, but they would have liked a more comfortable path to picking up the two points. They collapsed from 72 for 1 in the tenth over to 133 for 8, and it was their bowling that proved to be too strong for a spirited UAE, who became the first side to be bowled out by Bangladesh in a chase.

Except for the first nine odd overs in the Bangladesh innings, batting didn't seem easy. The Bangladesh batsmen committed one mistake after another before UAE struggled for 17.4 overs in their chase.

UAE's pursuit of 134 began ominously when Soumya Sarkar dropped a simple chance off Rohan Mustafa's bat in the first over. Al-Amin Hossain removed Muhammad Kaleem in the next over and Mustafa survived another chance in the fourth over when Mustafizur Rahman was judged to have grounded the ball in his attempt to take a return catch.

Mustafa fell to Mashrafe Mortaza in the next over, caught at short third-man, Mustafizur completing the simpler catch. Shaiman Anwar was well caught at point by Mahmudullah in Mashrafe's next over before it was Mustafizur's turn to take a brace in one over.

He first took a simple return catch with an off-cutter that left Mohammad Shahzad dumb-founded. Next ball, Swapnil Patil did the same thing, the only difference was that his top-edge carried to mid-on where Mashrafe took an easy catch.

The chase spun out of control for UAE. Their captain Amjad Javed slipped on to his stumps in the 11th over before newcomer Fahad Tariq ran past a slow Shakib Al Hasan delivery and was stumped by Nurul Hasan. Saqlain Haider drove Mahmudullah straight to cover as they sank to 55 for 8 in the 13th over. Muhammad Usman resisted briefly before he was beaten by extra seam movement from Taskin Ahmed after a run-a-ball 30 that included two fours and as many sixes.

UAE's bowling, however, continued to impress. Mohammad Naveed and Javed took two wickets each, with the former only giving away 12 runs in his four overs. Shahzad and Mustafa also took one apiece but the most impactful bowler was Ahmed Raza with his four tight overs of left-arm spin. Raza has now bowled three straight games without conceding a boundary, and his 0 for 17 today backed up economical returns against Oman and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh's batting had plenty in common with Sri Lanka's effort on Thursday. Both teams sped off to good starts before they were slowed down by spin and collapsed in the middle overs to have very little chance of a late flourish. The significant difference was the 17 runs that Mahmudullah took in the final over to give Bangladesh some confidence at the break.

Sarkar and Mohammad Mithun started off with 46 runs in 5.2 overs before Sarkar holed out to mid-on for 21 off 14 balls. The dismissal came soon after he had struck a six over square leg.

Bangladesh moved to 74 for 2 in ten overs but Raza and Mustafa were slowing them down. The collapse began in the 12th over when Mithun aimlessly took off for a single after the ball had trickled to the wicketkeeper Patil off an inside edge. A maiden T20I fifty was left on the table for Mithun who ended up on 47 off 41 balls with four boundaries and couple of sixes over the leg side.


Mushfiqur Rahim's wave at a short, wide, hit-me ball took the outside edge in the next over before Shakib missed Javed's high full-toss and was clean bowled. Big-hitters Nurul and Mashrafe gave catches to long-on and long-off next, before Mahmudullah ran hard for a trio of twos, sweetly timed a four and hammered a six in the last over to get his team to a respectable 133.


Match 4: Pakistan 83 (17.3/20 ov)
India 85/5 (15.3/20 ov)
India won by 5 wickets (with 27 balls remaining)

There is a bar for international batsmen and with Pakistan it is never quite certain which way they will push it. Whatever happens, there is never a shortage of spectacle and that box was at least ticked in Mirpur. Pakistan crumbled to 83 all out in 17.3 overs - their lowest ever score in T20Is after batting first. There is a bar for international bowlers too and Pakistan have been vaulting over it for years. Mohammad Amir, playing his sixth international limited-overs match in nearly as many years, turned up like he hadn't missed a beat. He took out Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in the first over of the chase and a low-scoring game that had threatened to be one-sided was given the thrill India-Pakistan cricket is known for. But logic had to prevail in the end and India held on for a five-wicket win.

Rohit, who had stood a class apart on a similarly challenging pitch on Wednesday, was beaten for pace and prodigious inswing before he even had his bearings set. The yorker may well have burned a hole through his boot and crashed into off stump. Amir could not have sounded his warning any clearer or louder but his leg-before appeal was turned down. So he pulled his length back but kept the inswing going. Rohit was rapped on the pads again and this time there was no doubt. Ajinkya Rahane, coming as a late replacement as Shikhar Dhawan rested a niggle, weathered a couple before he too couldn't handle the ball bending back into him at 140 kph-plus and was caught in front. Suresh Raina popped a catch to mid-on in Amir's next over and India were 8 for 3.

Virat Kohli persevered amid the carnage, deflecting the memory of an inswinger that nearly had him lbw and an edge that flew over the slip cordon. Both were off Amir's bowling, but his full quota was all done by the seventh over. After that sensational spell of 4-0-18-3, India gained the breathing room they needed and Kohli's 49 off 51 balls secured a fifth T20I win in six matches in the lead up to the World T20.


As taxing as India's batsmen had it, it was hard not to think about their bowlers. MS Dhoni had won the toss and handed them first use of a green-tinged pitch. Ashish Nehra began in vintage fashion, moving the ball across the right-hander and getting it to bounce more than expected. A surprised Mohammad Hafeez nicked the fourth ball of the match through to the wicketkeeper. At the other end, Jasprit Bumrah's natural bustle into the crease had the same effect but was bringing the ball into the right-hander. Khurram Manzoor's pads weathered a lot of impact as he came in at No. 3 and played out a maiden over on his T20I debut. Sharjeel Khan was undone by Bumrah's offcutter in the fourth over and India's discipline was bearing the sweetest fruit.

Then it created a spectacular chase. Shoaib Malik poked a shortish delivery into the covers and took a few steps down, looking for a single. A non-existent one because Kohli had swooped down on the ball with great agility. It made Malik rethink his decision and then change it but it was too late. Manzoor was barely in the frame when the direct hit found the non-striker's end. To complete the ineptness of that little passage of play from Pakistan, Manzoor had lost his bat in the frantic hurry to turn around and save himself. Seven balls later, Malik chased one outside off from Hardik Pandya and nicked it behind. It was the first of three wickets for a man known more as a batting allrounder.

Yuvraj Singh surprisingly came in to bowl the first over of spin, ahead of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. His first ball was angled in at Umar Akmal, who played for turn and was trapped lbw and Pakistan were 35 for 5 in the eighth over.


As if to cap a spell of self-destructive batting, there was another silly run-out. Shahid Afridi, whose experience spans nearly 20 years in international cricket, went for an ambitious second run to deep square leg taking on India's quickest man across the turf and the strongest arm, of Ravindra Jadeja. The pick up was one-handed and the throw was barely a parabola. Like a sniper's shot, it travelled along a near straight line and ended up a few centimeters away from the stumps and Dhoni made up the distance. Pakistan finished the eighth over at 42 for 6, the lower order just about doubled that. But it just wasn't enough.


Match 5: Bangladesh 147/7 (20/20 ov)
Sri Lanka 124/8 (20/20 ov)
Bangladesh won by 23 runs

After they ran into early trouble, Sabbir Rahman scored more than half of Bangladesh's runs. Their bowlers followed it up by squeezing Sri Lanka in the 148 chase, eventually picking up their second win in the Asia Cup by 23 runs.

A packed crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was kept on the edge for three and a half hours, mainly by Man-of-the-Match Sabbir's superb and clean hitting that gave him ten fours and three sixes. The home side's tight bowling and rapid fielding across the outfield stood out too.

The loss would, however, ring loud alarm bells for Sri Lanka, especially after how they missed out on taking advantage of the home side slipping to 26 for 3, and later being unable to hit any boundaries for four and seven-over clumps. This was the first time Sri Lanka were beaten by Bangladesh in a T20.

On a pitch devoid of any grass, Bangladesh had to defend what Shakib Al Hasan called a "par score" in the innings break. But Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman bowled eight overs between them for just 40 runs, taking three wickets. Al-Amin Hossain finished with 3 for 34.

But Bangladesh's defence had not started well. Like he did in the previous match, Soumya Sarkar dropped a catch at slip in the first over, off Taskin Ahmed, this time the lucky batsman being Dinesh Chandimal who had not scored a run. Tillakaratne Dilshan too was dropped, though the chance at wide first slip in the second over was quite hard for a diving Mahmudullah.

But Dilshan was removed in the fourth over with Sarkar making up for his drop with a brilliant catch running back about 30 yards from mid-off, diving full length and landing safely with the ball. Chandimal and Shehan Jayasuriya then added 56 runs for the second wicket though, like Bangladesh, they went through exactly four overs without a boundary.

Jayasuriya broke that duck with a six in the 11th over but Chandimal holed out in the same over after making a run-a-ball 37 after mainly trying reverse hits in the last few balls he faced. Shakib quickly removed Jayasuriya in the next over, for a 21-ball 26 after missing a wide delivery to get stumped by Nurul Hasan.

Bangladesh's biggest fear factor was Thisara Perera because of his performance in 2014 but today he was lackluster, falling leg-before to Mustafizur and Sri Lanka soon slipped to 92 for 5 in the 15th over.

Angelo Mathews swung and missed plenty during his 20-ball 12 before he was well caught at point by Shakib running back a fair way. In the 18th over, with 46 still required, Dasun Shanaka finaly struck one sweetly, breaking the seven-over boundary drought. Al-Amin conceded nine runs in the over and Sri Lanka were still 37 adrift from their target with two overs to go.

Mustafizur gave away just five runs in the penultimate over before Al-Amin took two wickets in the last over to seal the win.

Earlier, Sabbir's hitting spree began in the fourth over when he took three fours and a six off Nuwan Kulasekara to kick-start Bangladesh's innings that saw the openers Mohammad Mithun and Sarkar return for ducks within the first nine balls.

In the fifth over, however, Sabbir got into a mix-up with Mushfiqur Rahim resulting in the latter's run-out. But Sabbir responded brilliantly, taking three fours off Perera in the next over. With Shakib, Sabbir took to building the innings and the pair went through 4.1 overs without a boundary.

Sabbir broke the shackles in the 13th over with a well-timed six over midwicket which also brought up his fifty off 38 balls. Jayasuriya conceded 17 in the over, with Sabbir hitting two fours right after the six. He cracked Dushmantha Chameera's first ball through the covers and added another four in the next over, off Rangana Herath. Sabbir struck his third six before getting out, trying to repeat the hit through midwicket, but was caught for 80 off 54 balls. At that point, he had scored just over 74 per cent of Bangladesh's 108 runs.

Shakib, who had till now struggled to time several balls, and Mahmudullah kept the momentum going with three fours in the next seven balls before Shakib was caught behind miscuing a bouncer in the 18th over. Mahmudullah, who has turned into Bangladesh's finisher in this Asia Cup, pulled a four followed by a six straight over the bowler's head in his unbeaten 12-ball 23, to give them the much-needed final thrust.


Chameera took 3 for 30 but Kulasekara gave away 44 runs in four overs. It was quite surprising to see Mathews not bowling his fourth over after he had given away just eight runs in his first three. Herath was economical but didn't take a wicket in his four overs.



Match 6: United Arab Emirates 129/6 (20/20 ov)
Pakistan 131/3 (18.4/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 7 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)

UAE's decision to bat seemed a bit like someone doing away with the veggies so they could get to the meat quicker. All their captain Amjad Javed hoped for was "120 to 130" runs; they got 129. Pakistan tried to sink their teeth into the target and suddenly found it was more than they could chew. The top three fell by the time the fourth over of the chase began, but Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal buckled down and took Pakistan to a seven-wicket victory in Mirpur.

While that margin indicates it was all hunky dory, Javed's new-ball burst and the way he could rally his team together had given UAE a strong chance to record their first victory against a Full Member. He took three wickets off his first seven balls to make his team believe, and then made sure they did not waver by slinging his arm around every one of his bowlers while he was at the top of his run-up and clapping his hands until they stung.


Pakistan were 17 for 3 when Akmal and Malik got together. They recognised the momentum was with UAE, but knew they could turn it around. They just had to bide their time, to keep their wickets intact and take the chase deep so that the ball wouldn't be swinging and their experience could trump UAE's adrenaline. The first boundary of their fourth-wicket partnership came off the 14th ball and the next one came off the 30th but overhauling a target of 130 doesn't take pyrotechnics. Just patience.

There was a moment when UAE could have stormed back. With 40 runs to win from 26 balls, Malik dragged a Mohammad Shahzad bouncer from outside off and the resulting top-edge seemed destined for deep square leg's hands but Usman Mushtaq, who was brought into the XI in place of Saqlain Haider, dropped it. Malik reached his fifty with a four and a six off the next two balls he faced and along with Akmal sealed Pakistan's victory with their unbeaten 114-run partnership.

Javed was in uproar when the catch went down. He could have had a match-winning three-wicket haul after all. He dismissed Sharjeel Khan lbw, but replays showed the ball would have climbed over the stumps. Two balls later, Khurram Manzoor was caught behind playing an unwise cut against a rising ball that didn't give him the requisite room to free his arms.

Javed's final wicket of the night though came about because of the room he offered to the batsman. Mohammad Hafeez thought he had an easy put away through the covers but failed to keep his drive down much to the glee of one of UAE's best fielder Fahad Tariq. The one over he saved for the death turned out to be dreadful as Malik and Akmal caned 23 off it to pull ahead.

That Pakistan would need to huff and puff a bit had not seemed likely when they had UAE at 12 for 3 in four overs. Mohammad Amir was in the thick of things again, bowling a first over that went for only one run and following up with a second that had five dot balls and an indipper that squeezed through Muhammad Kaleem's limp defences. At the other end, Mohammad Sami made Rohan Mustafa pay for driving on the up by summoning some extra bounce. The batsman spooned a simple catch to mid-off and extra bounce from the seven-foot tall Mohammad Irfan accounted for Mohammad Shahzad.

Pakistan were barely at full throttle. They even rested their fastest bowler Wahab Riaz to give left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz an international debut. But the rest stacked enough balls around middle and off stump to capitalise on the batsmen's mistakes.

Shaiman Anwar stuck it out for 46 off 42 balls, but he may have been helped by Pakistan resorting to spin soon after the Powerplay. Shahid Afridi brought himself on, at the other end came Nawaz and UAE found some relief. They were 20 for 3 and going nowhere, but seven overs of slow bowling got them to 70 for 4. Anwar even took Afridi for a hat-trick of fours - a cut right through the point fielder, a beautiful loft over extra cover and a superbly-timed sweep. Lucky over 13 yielded 17 runs, the most UAE have scored in one over against a Full Member in T20Is.

There had been plenty of plays and misses because the UAE batsmen had not faced quick bowlers of this quality. At the 2015 World Cup, then captain Mohammad Tauqir had been shocked at the South Africa quicks roughing up their batsmen with bouncers. Here too, the company of Amir, Irfan and Sami were outclassing them. Amir had 21 dot balls out of 24, Irfan and Sami had 15 apiece.


Still, UAE went down swinging in their death overs as edges and mis-hits flew to the boundary to get a total that gave them a chance. But once again, they couldn't seal the deal and are now out of the Asia Cup.


Match 7: Sri Lanka 138/9 (20/20 ov)
India 142/5 (19.2/20 ov)
India won by 5 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)

Virat Kohli stroked his third fifty in as many T20s against Sri Lanka to send his team cruising to the Asia Cup final, after a tight bowling performance had restrained the opposition to 138 for 9. Kohli arrived with India wobbling at 16 for 2 in the fourth over, but soon enlisted Suresh Raina, then Yuvraj Singh, for support, in what was eventually a comfortable chase. The winning runs were hit with four balls and five wickets to spare. Kohli's share was a 47-ball 56 not out.

It had been Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah who earned India the initial impetus, however, taking out a batsman apiece during their miserly new-ball spells. Sri Lanka coughed and spluttered right through their innings, losing wickets just as a significant partnership seemed to be forming. Chamara Kapugedera top-scored with 30 from 32, before late blows from Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara propelled the team to what was a half-decent score, given the conditions. Dew would make defending it substantially harder, however.

Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin all took two wickets apiece for India, and Nehra made a customary early breakthrough. Ashwin was typically crafty, but the seamers' scalps were largely the result of good discipline, as Sri Lanka batsmen attempted to manufacture big strokes following long, quiet spells.

Kohli was in good touch from early in his innings, smoking Angelo Mathews through midwicket fifth ball, before pumping Nuwan Kulasekara through point before the end of the Powerplay. He'd hit one more sublime cover-drive off Dushmantha Chameera, in the first half of the innings, but largely laid low after that, mining singles and twos from the outfield instead. He ticked along, and Raina followed suit - the pair putting on 54 together for the third wicket.

When Raina departed in the 12th over, India were marginally shy of the required rate, but Kohli's assured presence warded off panic. He let Yuvraj play himself into some kind of form, and kept India striding confidently toward the total. Memorably bludgeoning huge, consecutive sixes off Herath, Yuvraj also produced his most substantial innings since early 2014 - an 18-ball 35.

Pandya didn't last long against Herath, but MS Dhoni was on hand to assist Kohli with the finish. Kohli crossed fifty in the penultimate over, then lifted Herath over cow corner to reap the winning runs.

Earlier, Dinesh Chandimal creamed a four second ball, then failed to score off the next eight deliveries, before sending an inside edge to the keeper off Nehra. Tillakaratne Dilshan's modest form persisted at the other end, though he pilfered a few runs behind the wicket, before hooking Pandya to fine leg, to end on 18. With Shehan Jayasuriya also having been dismissed cheaply Sri Lanka had slipped to 31 for 3 at the beginning of the seventh over. India's seamers had made good use of the juice in the pitch - Bumrah threatening batsmen's edges, in particular.

Mathews and Kapugedera attempted to set down a platform for Sri Lanka's hitters, but their going was slow. Halfway through the innings, Sri Lanka had mustered only 47. Just when Mathews finally began to find the boundary, hitting three fours from five balls, he got himself out to an innocuous ball. Attempting to run a single to third man, Mathews played Pandya back onto his stumps, to finish with 18 from 19 balls.

There were flashes of aggression from Kapugedera and Milinda Siriwardana, who put on 43 runs off the 31 balls they had together. Siriwardana even launched Ravindra Jadeja into the sightscreen, then nurdled him to the third man fence, in successive deliveries. But, as has often been the case in recent India v Sri Lanka matches, Ashwin dealt a decisive blow, removing Siriwardana in the 17th over, before Dasun Shanaka ran himself out off a free hit, a few balls later.


Kapugedara's departure, though, brought a little acceleration. Thisara Perera bludgeoned two fours and a six in his first five balls, before charging Ashwin one too many times, in the penultimate over. Having anticipated the advance, Ashwin slipped the ball wide of off stump - conceding the extra, but claiming the wicket. Replays would show, though, that Perera shouldn't have been given out stumped. Somehow, the batsman had managed to swing his bat back into the crease before Dhoni snapped the bails off, despite the square-leg umpire having given him out immediately. Late leg-side blows from Kulasekara gave the innings a final, if futile, fillip.


Match 8: Bangladesh 131 for 5 (Soumya 48, Mahmudullah 22*, Amir 2-26) beat Pakistan 129 for 7 (Sarfraz 58*, Al-Amin 3-25) by five wickets 

hose who watch cricket regularly will tell you that in a tight contest, the winning side will always show some signs of their impending triumph. Mahmudullah's upright blast over extra cover at the start of the 17th over can only be described as the shot of the tournament so far. In a tight chase of 130 against Pakistan, it was only fair that Mahmudullah struck the blow that took Bangladesh to the Asia Cup final.

Despite Shakib Al Hasan's brain freeze to Mohammad Amir in the 18th over, Mashrafe Mortaza struck two heroic fours immediately after to ease Bangladesh's nerves. Then, in a manic 19th over bowled by Mohammad Sami which included two no balls, Mahmudullah's squeezed boundary past point all but sealed victory for the hosts. Once Mahmudullah duly knocked off the winning runs with a slog past midwicket, he and Mashrafe wheeled away in wild celebration, nearly ramming into their on-rushing team-mates.

Mahmudullah's unbeaten 15-ball 22 was perhaps the most important innings of his career, particularly because he was at the crease in the last over of the 2012 Asia Cup final, when Bangladesh fell short by two runs against Pakistan. This game went into the last over too, but mostly because Bangladesh lost wickets at crucial stages and were trying their best not to crumble to Amir. The other Pakistan bowlers were all shoddy, and they were not helped by the team's very poor effort in the field.

Still, it was Bangladesh who were pegged back early in their 130-run chase. Tamim Iqbal was the first to go as a rare leg-before victim of Mohammad Irfan, who brought the ball into the batsman and hit the striding front pad half-way up. Luckily, Soumya Sarkar found Sabbir Rahman willing to stick around to weather the initial Amir storm. After the pair had safely negotiated those two overs, they looked for runs off the other bowlers. Soumya managed to hit Amir for an elegant four through midwicket, while Sabbir's only boundary in his 15-ball 14 also came through a roll of the wrist, through fine-leg.

Sabbir fell to Shahid Afridi in the ninth over, missing a charge completely to be bowled. Soumya survived a few close calls with miscued hits dropping short on a number of occasions, but he was generally hitting them well on the leg-side. Mushfiqur Rahim was also lucky to survive a close leg-before appeal to Afridi before Amir and Malik brought Pakistan into the game in the space of eight deliveries in the 13th and 14th overs.

Having been brought back for a single over as his second spell, Amir yorked Soumya by clattering into his leg-stump. Soumya had made a run-a-ball 48 that had five fours and the pumped six into the midwicket stands, but when he got out, Bangladesh needed 47 off 40 balls.

There was much expected from the experienced duo of Mushfiqur and Shakib at that stage, but Mushfiqur was given out leg-before trying to reverse-sweep Malik in the over after Soumya got out.

Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain were Bangladesh's best bowlers, stepping up in the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, who was ruled out through a right side strain. Taskin bowled his first maiden over in his T20I career in a first-spell that saw him give away just one run. His second spell produced the wicket of Umar Akmal; he finished with figures of 4-1-14-1. Al-Amin bowled two tight overs at the top, giving away just nine runs before returning in the last four overs to give away four and 12, as Bangladesh decently closed out the Pakistan innings for 129 for 7.

Pakistan's innings followed the same pattern of their previous games, losing three early wickets. Khurram Manzoor sent to open the batting, played out the first over and then got out for one off the first ball of the second, an Al-Amin delivery that jumped on him outside off-stump. It was the third time in the four Asia Cup matches that Al-Amin had taken a wicket in his first spell. Sharjeel Khan was bowled after missing a slog off Arafat Sunny in the fourth over, after he had faced just eight balls till that point, hitting a four and six.

Mohammad Hafeez was unlucky when he was given out leg-before by umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge when even on the first view, it looked as if the Mashrafe Mortaza delivery was climbing. Replays confirmed that it was yet another erroneous decision by an umpire in the Asia Cup. When Taskin removed Akmal in his second spell, Pakistan ended with the lowest score - 34 for 4 - in the first ten overs against Bangladesh.

Sarfraz Ahmed and Malik then joined hands for a fifth-wicket partnership. Malik struck Shakib for a six that was as straight as an arrow, and also found three fours on the off-side as well as one that was tickled past long-leg. Sarfraz got both his sixes with swings to midwicket, and tucked into fours through covers, midwicket, and mid-on.

Malik was in the groove when he mistimed Sunny to the deep midwicket boundary for 41 off 30 balls. Soon, Sarfraz reached his second T20I fifty with an inside-out blast over cover in the penultimate over.


But it was Mahmudullah's inside-out blast over the covers that would be the most memorable moment of the game, as Bangladesh got themselves to the final of a tournament that they were fearing a bit more than the World T20 itself.


Match 9: United Arab Emirates 81/9 (20/20 ov)
India 82/1 (10.1/20 ov)
India won by 9 wickets (with 59 balls remaining)

India versus UAE was a no contest. There was precious little intent from the UAE batsmen and all India had to do was go through the motions to gain a nine-wicket victory. It was India's biggest win in T20Is in terms of balls remaining.

There was nothing riding on this game, except perhaps the opportunity for UAE's batsmen to salvage some pride - putting up 81 for 9 suggests they didn't accomplish that - and a chance for India to test their bench ahead of the final here and the World T20 back home. Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and debutant Pawan Negi sent down 11 overs and picked up four wickets for only 35 runs between them.

MS Dhoni, the India captain, had hoped to bat first at the toss in the hopes of getting his batsmen geared towards setting a total and his side may have felt a little more pressure too. UAE's seam attack has managed to trouble every team in the tournament so far. Mohammad Naveed lent weight to that when he had Shikhar Dhawan nicking off in his second over, but umpire Sharfuddoula did not spot it. Rohit then got a series of boundaries away to set India on course in their 82-run chase, and even if he did hole out for 39 off 28 balls, it almost ended up helping India because they could give Yuvraj Singh some more time in the middle. He slammed a four to finish on 25 off 14 balls and seal victory with nine wickets and 59 balls to spare.

The match was like a lullaby. India, who were asked to bowl, began with two maidens in the first three overs and UAE could only get one run. The usually lively Shere Bangla stadium was fast asleep.

Bhuvneshwar struck in his second over, getting makeshift opener Swapnil Patil to lob a catch at him. Jasprit Bumrah, from the other end, chipped in with an early wicket as well when he had Mohammad Shahzad, the No. 3 batsman who showed little footwork, edging to second slip. Suresh Raina plucked a simple enough chance over his head, but the next time the ball headed his way, it burst through his grasp. Rohan Mustafa was the batsman flashing outside his off stump, and Bhuvneshwar, the bowler, had conceded his first runs after 13 deliveries.

Twenty-six of the first 36 balls - the Powerplay - were dots. And the progression continued: 44 of the first 60 and finally 77 of the entire 120. UAE racked up 72 dot balls against Pakistan on this very pitch on Monday.

Negi was brought into the attack in the 13th over and though there was no real pressure on him, he began with a half-tracker that was pulled for a couple. His second ball was a dart down leg that was swiped for four. He managed to get his first international wicket off his fifth ball, though, as Mohammad Usman scooped a catch to Harbhajan at long-off. Negi was there waiting to return the favour in the next over when Harbhajan tempted Amjad Javed into flicking uppishly towards midwicket. UAE were 57 for 5 in 15 overs.

Besides the lack of intent in their batting, UAE betrayed their standing as amateur cricketers with a silly run-out. Fahad Tariq, who came out at No. 7, pushed Negi on to the off side and set off for a single without realising the left-arm spinner only had to move a couple of steps to get to the ball. Shaiman Anwar had seen that and said no, but Tariq had charged too far down to have any hope.

An even sillier run-out was in the offing when Mohammad Naveed, unaware the throw was coming towards his end, barely made an attempt to reach his ground. MS Dhoni whipped the bails off and had a rather amused smile on his face as he gestured to his team-mates that Naveed had only plonked his bat down rather than slide it through. The third umpire was called, and replays revealed the tailender had got in by a thin margin.


Anwar cobbled together 43 off 48 balls, but he was only one of two batsmen who could manage double-digits and UAE finished their Asia Cup by recording the second-worst total ever in T20Is by any team after batting their full quota of overs and not being all out.


Match 10: Sri Lanka 150/4 (20/20 ov)
Pakistan 151/4 (19.2/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)


The first ball of the match, Mohammad Amir struck Dinesh Chandimal's pads with a late and quick inswinger, raising hopes of a contest. It panned out, however, into a dead rubber between two sides who made plenty of errors, with Pakistan chasing down 151 with six wickets in hand. The end was farcical, too, as Nuwan Kulasekara dropped a straightforward chance at mid-off from Shoaib Malik, to give away the winning run with four balls to spare.

Half the match was dominated by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored 75 not out. For the third time in T20Is, Dilshan finished unbeaten after opening the innings, the first opening batsman to do so in the format. His score accounted for half of Sri Lanka's total of 150 for 4, after he had survived a missed run-out opportunity and two dropped catches.

Pakistan timed their chase of 151 almost to perfection, despite losing Mohammad Hafeez early, helped along by cameos from Sharjeel Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Umar Akmal.

Sharjeel took four boundaries off Dushmantha Chameera in the sixth over, hitting him twice over mid-on, belting one to midwicket and squeezing a four past point. Two overs later, however, he was caught easily at long-on off Dilshan's bowling for a 24-ball 31 that had five fours and a six. Promoted to No. 3, Sarfraz bridged Sharjeel's burst with stability in the middle overs before Akmal and Malik added 56 runs for the fourth wicket. Akmal finished with 48 off 37 balls with four fours and two sixes before holing out to Thisara Perera at the long-off boundary with the scores level.

Earlier, Dilshan's innings could have ended when he was on 6, 7 and 64. In the fourth over, Mohammad Nawaz missed a direct hit from cover that could have found the batsman short of his ground. In the next over, Irfan dropped a simple catch running to his right from short fine-leg after Dilshan had top-edged a sweep off Shahid Afridi.

Later, in the 19th over, Dilshan top-edged a slog which flew towards Irfan at deep third-man but here, too, the fielder parried the ball down instead of completing the catch. Dilshan made the most of his early reprieves - he opened up after he was dropped the first time and left-arm spinner Nawaz bore the brunt of his attack.

Dilshan hammered him down the ground for three fours and a six in the sixth over. That 18-run over got Sri Lanka's innings up and running, as Dilshan and Chandimal added 110 runs for the first wicket. This was Sri Lanka's first 100-plus opening stand in T20Is since December 2013 and their third overall. Dilshan has been a common factor in all three partnerships.

After the attack on Nawaz, Dilshan used the pace of Wahab Riaz and Irfan to gather fours, and then played a slog and reverse-scoop off Amir. Chandimal tried the scoop once in the 11th over but mostly chose a conventional mode of attack. He got four fours through the covers, two behind the wicket and like Dilshan, struck Nawaz for a straight six.

Their partnership was broken in the 15th over when Chandimal pulled straight to Sharjeel at short midwicket, after making 58 runs with seven fours and the six.

Amir had an off day after a magnificent first over but, for all his fielding histrionics, it was Irfan who had the best bowling figures with 2 for 18 from his four overs. He was incisive in the 18th over, bowling Chamara Kapugedara and Dasun Shanaka out in the space of three balls.


Final: India 122 for 2 (Dhawan 60, Kohli 41*) beat Bangladesh 120 for 5 (Mahmudullah 33*, Bumrah 1-13) by eight wickets 

A thunderstorm and a Mahmudullah squall came in India's way, but a calm chase from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli helped India make light work of their chase of 121 that brought them their sixth Asia Cup title.

Dhawan and Kohli added 94 for the second wicket before MS Dhoni, who walked in to bat with India needing 22 off 14 balls, quite fittingly, polished off the chase with an unbeaten six-ball 20 as India won with seven balls to spare. Kohli's credentials in run chases received another fillip as he finished unbeaten on 41.

That the match took place was a miracle, given the amount of rain that lashed Dhaka 90 minutes before start of play. It was a typical spring-time thunderstorm that created puddles across the outfield, but the ground was readied in just over an hour after the rain stopped.

Halfway through the protracted game, India were left with scoring at eight runs per over. They were dented in the second over as Rohit Sharma was snaffled by Soumya Sarkar at slip off Al-Amin Hossain as Bangladesh kept things tight upfront.

Dhawan and Kohli took stock of the situation till the fourth over, before wading into newcomer Abu Hider for three fours to kickstart the chase. Shakib gave away 15 runs in the next over, as the pair effortlessly switched gears. Dhawan helped himself to a half-century, even as the Bangladesh bowlers at times tried to do too much, and paid the price. Only Taskin Ahmed stood out with figures of 1 for 14 off three overs.

That Bangladesh got into a position from where they could entertain hopes of a win was largely due to Mahmudullah's late blitz, an unbeaten 13-ball 33 that took the hosts to 120 after a sluggish start. He started with a straight drill off Ashish Nehra before going inside out against Hardik Pandya to start 14th over that was taken for 21. Jasprit Bumrah's superb last over, off which he conceded just seven, helped India pull it back. Yet, the star of the first half was R Ashwin, who gave away very little in a 15-over bash that was tailor-made for batsmen to tee off.

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar took a bit of time to suss the situation, but took three more fours off Nehra in the fourth over. But Nehra struck to dismiss Sarkar off the last ball to ensure he has taken a wicket in the Powerplay for the eighth game in a row.

Tamim followed three balls later, trapped plumb in front by Jasprit Bumrah. Shakib Al Hasan and Sabbir Rahman added 34 runs for the third wicket to briefly lift them, before Shakib top-edged a sweep to short fine leg. He struck three fours in his 16-ball 21.


Mushfiqur Rahim was run-out, while Mortaza, who promoted himself to No. 6 holed out to Kohli at deep square leg off the first ball. At 75 for 5, Bangladesh had lost their way and were in danger of finishing with a sub-par total. But Sabbir broke a 24-ball boundary duck with a nicely timed lap sweep to get them up and running along with Mahmudullah to give the hosts a chance. But on the night, it came as a scant consolation against Dhawan and Kohli, who piloted India home in style.

Qualifying 19th-22nd Feb 

Match 1

United Arab Emirates 176/4 (20/20 ov)
Afghanistan 160 (19.5/20 ov)
United Arab Emirates won by 16 runs

United Arab Emirates stirred the qualifying round of the Asia Cup T20 with an upset over Afghanistan in a fairly high-scoring opening match in Fatullah on Friday.

In what was largely a tale of two knocks, Rohan Mustafa, the UAE opener, came trumps; his 50-ball 77 laying the base for their strong total of 176 for 4. Afghanistan were rocked early, and didn't quite recover even though Karim Sadiq kept them in the hunt with a fighting 48-ball 72. The target eventually proved to be 16 too many.

On paper, there was little doubt as to which was the stronger side. But UAE, with only three players having an experience of 10 or more T20Is, did the early running after opting to bat, with Muhammad Kaleem complementing Mustafa well during the course of a quick 83-run opening stand before Rashid Khan struck.

The 17-year old legspinner, who impressed during the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe last month, slowed things down further by dismissing Shaiman Anwar and Amjad Javed, the captain, off consecutive overs as UAE, who looked set to get close to 200 at one stage, slipped from 121 for 1 to 128 for 4.

Usman Mushtaq and Mohammad Shahzad came up with the rescue act. The two lent the finishing touches to the innings by adding 48 off the last five overs; Shahzad being particularly harsh on comeback man Shapoor Zadran, who was smashed for two sixes in the 17th over.

Afghanistan's chase hit a roadblock upfront as Mohammad Shahzad and Usman Ghani were dismissed in the space of three deliveries inside the first two overs. Asghar Stanikzai's wicket to his opposite number further threatened to pull the shutters on the chase.

Sadiq and Mohammad Nabi, coming into the tournament on the back of a successful stint with Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, revived the chase with a 47-run stand, before Farhan Ahmed, the left-arm spinner, came back for a new spell and prised out Nabi for 23.

The loss of wickets forced Sadiq to hit out, which he did quite well to bring up a half-century off just 35 balls to bring the equation down to 33 off the last two overs. Sadiq, however, fell for 72 when he was bowled by seamer Mohammad Naveed. Mustafa then followed his rapid fifty with three wickets in the final over as Afghanistan were bowled out for 160 with one ball to spare.


By winning as comprehensively as they did, UAE also made it loud and clear that they weren't in it to merely make up the numbers.


Match 2

Oman 180/5 (20/20 ov)
Hong Kong 175/7 (20/20 ov)
Oman won by 5 runs

A 60-ball 122 from Babar Hayat carried Hong Kong to the threshold of their 181-run target but Oman managed to stave them off and seal a five-run win on their Asia Cup debut. Hayat's 122 was the fourth-highest score in all T20Is. The innings, which included nine fours and seven sixes, carried Hong Kong almost single-handedly through their chase: the next highest score was Aizaz Khan's 15.

Hong Kong's situation seemed desperate when Aizaz was sixth out in the 17th over, with 48 needed from the last 21 balls. But Hayat smashed four sixes in the 18th over, bowled by the left-arm spinner Zeeshan Maqsood, to bring the equation down to 18 from 12 balls. But the momentum swung back in Oman's favour after a tight 19th over in which Bilal Khan conceded only three runs, and Hayat fell in the final over, going for a big hit with 11 needed from the last three balls.

There was a controversial moment in the ninth over of Hong Kong's innings, when Aamir Kaleem spotted Mark Chapman backing up too far and Mankaded him. At that point, Hong Kong were 77 for 3 with Hayat already on 57. The wickets of Nizakat Khan and Tanwir Afzal, coming close on the heels of Chapman's dismissal, set back their momentum considerably.


Having chosen to bat, Oman's innings got off to a solid start thanks to Jatinder Singh (42 off 35 balls), who added 34 with opening partner Zeeshan and 41 with No. 3 Vaibhav Wategaonkar to move them to a solid 75 for 1 at the 10-over mark. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed dismissed both Jatinder and Wategaonkar in the 11th over, but every member of Oman's middle order chipped in to ensure there was no loss of momentum. Adnan Ilyas (23) and Aamir Kaleem (19) were dismissed in quick succession after putting on 38 for the fourth wicket, before Mehran Khan (28* off 16) and Amir Ali (32* off 13) gave the innings an explosive finish, adding an unbroken 50 runs for the sixth wicket, off just 24 balls.


Match 3

Oman 165/4 (20/20 ov)
Afghanistan 168/7 (19.3/20 ov)
Afghanistan won by 3 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)

Afghanistan reinvigorated their hopes of qualifying for the main round of the Asia Cup T20 with a thrilling three-wicket win over Oman in Fatullah on Saturday. The star of the show was Dawlat Zadran, who clubbed two consecutive sixes in the final over bowled by left-arm spinner Ajay Lalcheta as Afghanistan chased down 166 with three balls to spare.

Oman, seeking a repeat of their performance over Hong Kong, opted to bat and were powered by the opening combine of Zeeshan Maqsood (52) and Jatinder Singh (23). Adnan Ilyas, the No. 3 batsman, built on the firm base to score an enterprising 27-ball 54 comprising three fours and four sixes. But his dismissal in the 17th over proved to be the difference between where Oman eventually finished and where they would have liked to finish. Gulbadin Naib, the medium-pacer, was the most economical, picking two wickets and conceding just 24 runs off his full quota.

For the second successive night, Mohammad Shahzad fell inside the second over as Afghanistan slipped right at the start of their chase. That Afghanistan got into a position from where they could chase down the target was largely due to Noor Ali Zadran, whose quickfire start allowed the middle-order batsmen to settle in. Noor Ali's second-wicket stand of 54 off just 4.4 overs with Asghar Stanikzai, the captain, helped them steer clear of the asking rate.

But the dismissals of Stanikzai and Karim Sadiq, the top-scorer in their loss to United Arab Emirates on Friday, threw a spanner in their works courtesy Mehran Khan as Afghanistan slipped to 60 for 3. The medium-pacer added the scalp of Mohammad Nabi to his kitty soon after to leave Afghanistan wobbly even before they had wiped out half the target.

Najibullah Zadran set about repairing the innings, conjuring a 21-ball 23. In doing so, he ensured a lower-order collapse was averted, and more importantly, brought the difference between runs and balls to just three going into the last four overs. But there appeared to be another twist as Bilal Khan trapped Najibullah and Noor Ali lbw within three deliveries in the 17th over.


With 21 needed off the last two overs, Samiullah Shenwari, who was left out of their tournament opener, hit two successive fours to ease the pressure, taking the game into the final over with 10 needed. After having nearly taken them home, Shenwari holed out to long-on with five balls to play. The scene was set for one of Lalcheta or Dawlat to be a hero. On the night, it was Dawlat's ice-cool veins that prevailed in a tense clash.


Match 4

Hong Kong 146/7 (20/20 ov)
United Arab Emirates 147/4 (18.3/20 ov)

United Arab Emirates won by 6 wickets (with 9 balls remaining)

Hong Kong's hopes of qualifying for the main round of the Asia Cup T20 were extinguished by Mohammad Shahzad as UAE beat them by six wickets to move to the top of the points table with one game to play.

If it was Rohan Mustafa who led the way in their tournament opener against Afghanistan, Shahzad put his hand up to make a 39-ball 52 in the chase of 147 as UAE crossed the line with nine balls to spare. In doing so, they also ensured their net run rate received a boost, a factor that could decide the qualifier if teams are tied on points.

Hong Kong were struggling at 26 for 2 after they opted to bat. It took the belligerence of the in-form Babar Hayat to give them the momentum, even as Mark Chapman's aggression fetched 29 runs off just 17 balls. Hayat, who made 122 in a losing cause in Hong Kong's opener, hit eight fours in his 45-ball 54, before being dismissed in the 16th over. That allowed UAE to apply the choke as they conceded just 24 off the last five overs, with Mohammad Naveed, the pacer, finishing with figures of 3 for 14.

With perhaps lesser runs than they would have liked, Hong Kong prised out the wickets of Mustafa and Muhammad Kaleem to leave UAE at 22 for 2. Shahzad, who came in to bat at No. 3, arrested the wobble and helped UAE steer ahead of the asking rate during the course of a third-wicket stand of 79 with Muhammad Usman (41). Shahzad took the game right till the end in Shaiman Anwar's company, before Amjad Javed, the captain, sealed the deal with a straight six.


Having come up with two dominating displays, UAE have a straightforward equation. A win against Oman will see them through to the main round, while a loss that coincides with an Afghanistan win over Hong Kong could force a three-way tie in terms of points.


Match 5

Afghanistan 178/7 (20/20 ov)
Hong Kong 112 (17.1/20 ov)

Afghanistan won by 66 runs

Career-best T20I performances from Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi ensured that Afghanistan stayed in the hunt for the main draw of the Asia Cup, but only briefly as UAE won the second match later in the day. Najibullah muscled 60 not out off 35 balls to lead Afghanistan to 178, which they defended with ease, thanks to Nabi's four-for.

Hong Kong's openers blasted off in the chase, reeling off 50 by the sixth over. But Nabi soon struck with his third ball to break the thriving stand when he pinned Kinchit Shah lbw for 29. Anshuman Rath and Babar Hayat kept Hong Kong ticking before they collapsed in a heap; losing the last nine wickets for only 33 runs.

Nabi used his flight and variations in pace, having three batsmen holing out to big hits. He finished with figures of 4 for 17, a match-winning spell that included 12 dots. Nabi was complemented by the googlies and quick fizzers of 17-year old Rashid Khan who scalped two wickets. Fast bowler Dawlat Zadran put the seal on the win when he had Tanwir Ahmed lbw for a duck. Shapoor Zadran, brought back in place of spinner Amir Hamza, however, managed only one wicket. Each of Hong Kong's batsmen barring the top three were left nursing single-digit scores.

The victory, though, was set up by Najibullah who stroked his maiden T20I fifty. His effort gave Afghanistan the impetus in the middle and at the death as they took 52 from the last four overs. Najibullah was particularly severe on seamer Aizaz Khan, plundering two sixes off the penultimate over; both sent sailing over cow corner.

Opener Mohammad Shahzad and captain Asghar Stanikzai had done the early running. Shahzad unleashed his familiar hoicks and swipes during his 14-ball 24 before falling in the fourth over. Stanikzai was brisk, if not as quick as Shahzad, scoring 49 off 35 balls, including four fours and three sixes.


Nabi and Gulbadin Naib were then undone by Aizaz in the 17th over, but Najibullah took charge before Nabi's offbreaks derailed the chase.


Match 6

United Arab Emirates 172/6 (20/20 ov)
Oman 101/8 (20/20 ov)

United Arab Emirates won by 71 runs

United Arab Emirates entered the main draw of the Asia Cup after a convincing 71-run win against Oman in Dhaka. UAE won all three of their qualifying matches to finish first on the points table and book their berth.

Oman were still alive going into the last match of the qualifying group, but had to chase the target in 13.5 overs after opting to bowl. UAE just needed a win to qualify.

Oman were given a boost in the second over after Rohan Mustafa was run-out after failing to slide his bat into the crease. The innings was quickly resurrected by Mohammad Shahzad, who struck a fifty in the previous game, and Muhammad Kaleem. The pair added 86 in 65 balls to set a strong platform for the middle order. Sufyan Mehmood, drafted in for this game, removed Kaleem for a 40-ball 50.

Left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem brought his side back into the contest with two wickets in three balls in the 14th over, dismissing Shahzad and Shaiman Anwar. However, the momentum swung again as Muhammad Usman played a match-turning cameo to lift his side to 172 for 6. He plundered 35 off his last 10 balls and finished with an unbeaten 46 off 22, an innings that featured six fours and two sixes. His innings earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. Aamir Kaleem took two more wickets in the final over to finish with figures of 4 for 36.

Oman's hopes of qualification were dashed within seven overs of the chase, as they were reduced to 38 for 5 in the search for quick runs to get ahead on net run-rate. UAE took two more wickets in the next four overs to effectively kill the match.


The rest of the innings was a formality as Oman crawled to 101 for 8 in 20 overs. Zeeshan Maqsood offered resistance with a 42-ball 46 but no other batsman crossed 15. Fast bowler Mohammad Naveed was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-1-14-2.