Asia Cup 2018: Mashrafe Mortaza Hails Bangladesh' Fighting Spirit Ahead Of Final Against India

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, on Thursday, hailed his team for making it to the Asia Cup final despite being hit by injury throughout the competition. The Tigers will take on defending champions India in the title-decider.

Not many would have given Bangladesh even an outside chance of progressing far when they lost their batting mainstay Tamim Iqbal in the very game. The southpaw received a blow on his hand against Sri Lanka which ended his tournament. Prior to the start of the competition, their former captain Mushfiqur Rahim was hit on the ribs during a practise.

Things then went from bad to worse as they lost to Afghanistan and India. With two do-or-die games ahead, Bangladesh did well to pull off a thriller against Afghanistan. They won the game by 3 runs to keep their hopes alive.

But those hopes took a huge blow when their star allrounder Shakib Al Hasan left the squad due to a long-persisting finger injury. The Tigers were up against pre-tournament favourites Pakistan in a virtual semifinal.

But in end those setbacks made little difference as far as the results were concerned. Bangladesh went on to beat Pakistan comfortably to set up a clash with India.

Not surprisingly, their skipper Mashrafe Mortaza was all praise for his teammates for the way they fought against the odds.

”We came through difficult situation like losing one player after another and doubt whether Mushfiq will play or not play and in that sense they really have learnt a lot,” Mortaza said. ”It was a great lesson for the boys. I think young players will learn that we must continue our fight till the last ball.

“It was really hard, because there was no cricketer like Shakib-Tamim,” Mortaza added. ”Shakib was fifty percent fit from the beginning [of the tournament]. We didn’t have Tamim from the first match. The good part is, the boys haven’t been disappointed. They kept fighting. Although we lost to Afghanistan in the group stage and to [India in the Super Four], still I will say they fought.”

The way India have blown away oppositions in the competition, they are certainly the team to beat. The Men in Blue will be the firm favourites to win the continental championship. However, Mortaza believes that if his team can check the emotions then it is not impossible to beat India.

”So far we are proud. But we have to handle our emotions especially before the final match,” Mortaza said. ”How we fight against them [India] is very important for us. They undoubtedly are the best team. But we will see tomorrow what our options are and whether we can fight with it.”

The 34-year old further admitted that losing Shakib ahead of the final remains a huge concern due to the imbalance it has caused in the team.

”We wouldn’t have to worry if Shakib was there. But now things are different without Shakib. We are trying to see how things can be done. I saw the wicket here only for a day [when we played against Sri Lanka].

”When they [India] played against Pakistan, it was a flat wicket. But when they played against Afghanistan, Nabi, Rashid or Mujeeb were getting enough turn. So there is a mixed reaction regarding the wicket. No matter what kind of wicket is available we have to adapt to it and play,” Mortaza said.

Bangladesh and India will fight it out for the trophy on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.