Acing The Asia Cup Final

2012, 2016 and now 2018, Bangladesh has reached the Final of all these editions of the Asia cup. 2012, it was a nail-biting finish when we lost to Pakistan by an agonizing margin of 2 runs. 2016, in the T20 edition of the Asia cup, India beat us easily by 8 wickets. What will happen in this year's final, only time will tell. Can Bangladesh change the history? Well, India is the clear favorite. But if Bangladesh can play strategically and can take full advantages of their opportunities, you never know, we might see Masrafee raising the cup for the first time. So, what do we need to do?

Avoid throwing away wickets

Perhaps, our biggest concern is our top order. In all of the matches, at least 1 or 2 top order batsmen lost their wicket due to the wrong choice of shots. Our middle order has already proved that run will come if we can spend some time in the middle. Our top order just has to follow the same. Stay at the wicket. Even if we have only 30 runs in the first ten overs, we can always improve the run rate later. All through the tournament, it is seen that any score around 250 can be challenging. India has a great bowling line up, undoubtedly, but if we do not give away our wickets they will be under pressure. Even our middle order has a tendency to throw away wickets after a good partnership. That can put the pressure back to the remaining batsmen. The batsmen have to keep in mind that even if we score 200 in 45 overs, we can always put 50 odd runs in the last 5 overs if we keep wickets in hand. If we chase, we have to be calculative in our approach. Along with keeping wickets in hand, we have to know when to start hitting. Otherwise, the stress of the rising asking run rate can be accelerated by the pressure of the Final.

Improve the running between the wickets

This has always been a concern for Bangladeshi batsmen. Especially, when there is a new batsman in the crease. In a match like final, one or two incidents like this can bring the morale down of the whole team. There is nothing to hurry. With a new batsman, always spend more time in understanding each other's call. The last thing we want is a run out of the set batsmen.

Bowl according to plan

India perhaps has the best top order batsmen in the world now. We have to attack very strategically. Dhawan has a weakness against spin initially and Rohit is vulnerable against left-hand seemers. So, just like against Pakistan, Bangladesh should start with Mehidy and Mustafig. India knows pretty well, that both of these bowlers are among wickets. So, they will be careful. If we can be strict in our line and length, India will be under pressure. And with the pressure of the Final, we can get lots of opportunities. We have to make sure we take the advantages of those opportunities. Masrafee can come as the first change. With his accuracy and precision, he can make the batsmen more stressed. Ravindra Jadeja is the only left-hander in the middle and lower order of India. For all those right-handed batsmen, I would always recommend the inclusion of  Nazmul Islam in place of Mominul. With his wicket to wicket deliveries, he can be very effective against the fragile Indian middle and lower order. Rubel Hossain has to make sure he does not try to do anything special. He has experienced a pretty consistent tournament. I am sure he would love to finish it on a high note. If we need part-timers, Shoumya and Mahmudullah have already shown they can be very effective. 

Even if we cannot take early wickets, our bowlers have to be patient and strict in their line and length. India's batting against Hong Kong and Afghanistan has proved that anytime when their middle order is exposed they can collapse. We just need to keep our head cool and do not get stressed. 

Bangladesh Playing XI (My choice)

Shoumya is still under pressure and India is very good with the new ball. I would put Imrul with Liton in the opening. I will definitely keep Soumya in the team as his bowling can be very effective as shown in the game against Pakistan. In one down, I would keep Mithun because of his recent good form. Also, he had two good partnerships with Mushfiq. So, definitely, he has a good understanding with him. If the opportunity comes they can again pull up a good partnership. In second down, Mushfiq is probably having the form of his life. It is very difficult to bat in Bangladesh team when you know you do not have the support of Tamim and Shakib. Knowing the major portion of the team's batting responsibilities are on your shoulder, Mushfiq is doing brilliantly. Mahmudullah is my choice for the third down. He has been the Mr. Dependable for Bangladesh for a long time. With his consistency, I always think he should be given more time to spend in the middle. Next, I would put Mehidy. Mehidy can spend some time in the middle and can give the opportunity to unleash Shoumya and Mashrafee at the later part of the innings to accelerate the run rate. If we can let Shoumya bat in the last 10 overs, he can be a good option against the old ball.  After that, there is Mashrafe and the tail end batsmen.

My XI: Liton, Imrul, Mithun, Mushfiq, Mahmudullah, Mehidy, Shoumya, Mashrafee, Nazmul, Rubel and Mustafiz