The 2018 edition of the Asia Cup drew to a close on Friday with finalists India and Bangladesh providing a befitting end to the tournament.
It took a last-ball thriller for India to finally thwart the Tigers’ challenge after a match where fortunes swayed from one side to the other.
The final was the culmination of an action-packed tournament filled with matches that went down to the wire and had heroic individual displays.
Here we take a look at the five most memorable moments from Asia Cup 2018.
TAMIM IQBAL COMES OUT TO BAT WITH BROKEN HAND
The very first game of the tournament gave us a glimpse of things to come as Bangladesh took on Sri Lanka.
After electing to bat first, Bangladesh were in early trouble after losing two wickets with just one run on the board. Things went from bad to worse when opener Tamim Iqbal had to retire hurt after being struck on the wrist by a rising delivery.
A batting masterclass from Mushfiqur Rahim followed with the wicket-keeper batsman fighting almost a lone battle. He began running out of partners towards the end and it seemed like the Tigers’ innings had come to an end when they slid to 229-9.
To the surprise of one and all, a heavily strapped Tamim walked out to bat again. Despite an earlier scan confirming a fracture and subsequently ruling him out of the rest of the tournament, Tamim battled with an injured hand in a 32-run stand for the last wicket.
Tamim Iqbal’s bravery won the day for Bangladesh.
HONG KONG GIVE INDIA A MIGHTY SCARE
When Hong Kong achieved qualification to the Asia Cup, they were meant to be the whipping boys of the tournament after being clubbed with favourites Pakistan and India in Group A.
That looked to be the way their tournament was headed after they were thrashed by Pakistan in their opening match.
That eight-wicket loss did not bode well for the minnows when they locked horns with India but what followed was totally unexpected. Chasing a stiff target of 286 for victory, the Associates gave the Asian giants the scare of their lives with a 174-run stand for the opening wicket between Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan.
For large parts in the match, Hong Kong were on course for a win before falling to an agonising 26-run defeat. Though the loss signaled the end of their tournament, Hong Kong captured plenty of hearts with their heroic display.
Hong Kong played their hearts out against the No1 ranked ODI team.
BANGLADESH HOLD THEIR NERVE TO BEAT AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan were involved in plenty of thrillers in the tournament with their Super Four clash against Bangladesh no exception. Chasing a competitive 250 for victory, the Afghans were on track after half-centuries from Mohammad Shahzad and Hashmatullah Shahidi. Important contributions from skipper Asghar Afghan and Mohammad Nabi ensured that Afghanistan needed only seven runs to win from the final over with Rashid Khan and Samiullah Shenwari at the crease.
Victory was their’s for the taking but Mustafizur Rahman produced a terrific last over to lead Bangladesh to a three-run win. It was a win to savour for the Tigers who had been thrashed by the same opponents in the group stages.
Mustafizur Rahman defended seven runs in the final over.
MALIK BREAKS AFGHANISTAN HEARTS
Pakistan’s campaign in the Super Four stages started off with a clash against the spirited Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi. The Afghans had done well to put up a competitive 257-6 after batting first and then turned the screws with the ball in hand. Despite a 154-run stand between Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq for the second wicket, the Afghans kept plugging away with regular wickets and economical bowling.
In the end, the equation came down to Pakistan requiring 10 runs to win off the final five deliveries before the brilliant Shoaib Malik thumped Aftab Alam for a six and a boundary to break Afghanistan hearts.
For Afghanistan, it was a cruel end to a match in which they had played out of their skins but Malik showed his class and experience to avert disaster for Pakistan. Him going up to console a distraught Alam after the finish was the perfect representation of the ‘spirit of cricket’ that was on display for much of the tournament.
Shoaib Malik erupts in joy after sinking Afghanistan.
AFGHANISTAN HOLD INDIA TO DRAMATIC TIE
The Afghans were the ‘nearly men’ of the competition, giving all three Asian giants a run for their money in the Super Four stages.
They saved their best for the last though, against India, despite the Super Four clash being a dead-rubber. Mohammad Shahzad’s superb ton helped Afghanistan post a competitive 252-8 after batting first. They seemed headed towards a loss after India’s top-order fired to take them to 205-4 in the chase.
The Afghans then came roaring back into the match with Rashid Khan working his magic. India’s wickets started tumbling at the death and the equation came down to seven needed off the final over with one wicket in hand. Ravindra Jadeja slog-swept Rashid’s second delivery for a boundary before taking a single off the third ball of the over. Khaleed Ahmed stole a tight single off the fourth ball to put Jadeja back on strike with one run to get for victory. The India all-rounder then committed hara-kiri by hitting a half-tracker straight into the hands of Najibullah Zadran in the deep.
After only the 36th tied match in ODI history, the Afghans erupted in wild celebrations as they capped one of their best ever performances on a cricket field.
Afghanistan’s joyous faces say it all after the tie.
