This story is from September 27, 2018

Pakistan vs Bangladesh: Gritty Bangladesh stun Pakistan to set up Asia Cup final date with India

Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs in the last Super Four game in Dubai. Bangladesh rode on a fighting 99 by Mushfiqur Rahim to score 239 all out in 49.5 overs before restricting Pakistan to 202-9 in 50 overs. They will now play defending champions India in the final on Friday​.
Asia Cup 2018: India and Bangladesh to play the final match
Bangladesh players celebrate their win over Pakistan. (AP Photo)
Key Highlights
  • Mushfiqur Rahim scored a fighting 99 to guide Bangladesh after a batting collapse.
  • Mustafizur Rahman's enviable temperament came to the fore as he applied the choke on Pakistan with figures of 4/43.
  • Bangladesh will now play defending champions India in the final on Friday.
Asia Cup
ABU DHABI: The Sheikh Zayed stadium here is like an oasis. Carved out in the middle of a desert here, the stadium sports a lush green outfield and well-maintained grass banks. Even the pitch wore a tinge of green on Wednesday and offered some pace - a departure from the usual proceedings. Like it has done through the tournament, the venue turned into a stage for another close ODI between Pakistan and Bangladesh on Wednesday.
This time Bangladesh held their nerve, carving out a 37-run win, and will now challenge India for the Asia Cup title on Friday.
SCORECARD
When two mercurial teams meet in such a high-octane clash, sparks are bound to fly. They did right from the time Bangladesh gave Pakistan first shot with the new ball in the afternoon.
Bangladesh's crisis man Mushfiqur Rahim's rescue act with the bat to the ageing captain Mashrafe Mortaza later pulling off a spectacular catch at short mid-wicket off Rubel Hossain to dismiss Shoaib Malik, showed Bangladesh's intent. Their X-factor Mustafizur Rahman's enviable temperament came to the fore as he applied the choke on Pakistan with figures of 4/43.
Imam-ul-Haq kept Pakistan's faint hopes alive, chasing 240, after Mushfiqur produced a masterclass with his knock of 99 off 1 earlier in the day. Imam nearly matched the brilliance of Mushfiqur. But unlike Mushfiqur, he fell prey to his inexperience and rush of adrenaline under extreme pressure exerted by a disciplined Bangladeshi bowling attack. As he ran past Mahmudullah's arm ball to be stumped for 83 off 105 balls, Pakistan's hopes of getting another shot at India was pushed further back at 167/7 in the 41st over.

Wednesday's match was about Mushfiqur, though. The Pakistani new-ball bowlers got into the act straightaway. There were stumps flying all over the place as Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi knocked off the Bangladesh top-order to reduce them to 12/3 by the fifth over before Mushfiqur took centre stage.
The diminutive wicketkeeper grew only in stature and guided young Mohammad Mithun (60 off 84) in a 144-run stand for the fourth wicket which gave the Bangladesh bowlers 239 to defend. Mushfiqur and Mithun defied the aggression of Junaid who finished with figures of 4/19 before milking runs off the other bowlers.
The edge through to Sarfraz off Afridi on 99 would have hurt but he had done something that a passionate Bangladeshi crowd here would cherish for long. There were those deft touches, crisp drives, disdainful pulls and clean sweeps. Bangladesh had their crisis man answering the call once again with a knock which give them a chance to settle scores with India.
If it was the experience of Mushfiqur that pulled Bangladesh out of big hole in the afternoon, it was young Imam's turn to take Pakistan to safer waters after Mustafizur and Mehidy Hasan got them gasping at 18/3 with Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed back in the pavilion.
The match was about the pace and movement of Junaid Khan and the maturity and class of Mushfiqur. Junaid, replacing Mohammed Amir, set the tone for Pakistan. When he got Saumya Sarkar at mid-on, undone by his pace and length, and knocked over Liton Das's off-stump, it seemed Pakistan had got their familiar aggro back. All of that had one major hurdle in a five feet three inches long Mishfiqur.
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