That's it from us tonight. See you at the final, ta-ta!
Bangladesh into the final!
There won't be another India versus Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup after all. In an implicit semifinal at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs to set a finale date with India. Mushfiqur Rahim's 99 helped set Pakistan a 240-run target, which proved a bridge too far to cross in the face of a four-wicket haul by Mustafizur Rahman.
The fact that Bangladesh fared so well in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who was laid up by his recurrent finger injury, is a testament to their ever improving temperament. Having lost their top three batsmen for only 12 runs, thanks to returning Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi wreaking havoc at the top, Bangladesh built their way back into the game courtesy a 144-run stand between Rahim and Mohammad Mithun.
Pakistan also lost three early wickets while chasing. Shoaib Malik in association with Imam-ul-Haq put 67 runs for the fourth wicket but his wicket by Rubel Hossain, thanks to a stunning take by Mashrafe Mortaza at short midwicket, meant that the onus was on Imam, who put up a lone fight from thereon. Shadab Khan was promoted above Asif Ali but failed to get going, consuming 24 balls for his 4 runs before becoming Soumya Sarkar's maiden ODI wicket. Pakistan lost out on allowing the non-regular bowlers in Soumya and Mahmudullah to flourish, meaning Bangladesh didn't miss Shakib as much as they should have.
Bangladesh front-runners after Imam wicket
It's Mahmudullah who's got the big wicket here. Imam is stumped, and probably Pakistan's chances too. Liton Das with another stumping after that dropped catch!
Asif Ali stumped
Mehidy Hasan strikes. Gets Asif Ali stumped with one that drifts away. Imam is disconsolate there, especially after giving Asif the pep talk just before this over. And then this happens..
12 vs 11 - Am I even sober?
There were 12 Bangladesh players on the field, and had 38.2 been bowled earlier, it would have been a no-ball.... Spotted just in time.
Liton Das drops Asif Ali
Steered straight to him off Mustafizur's first delivery on return and he's shelled it, trying to go for it one-handed. There's no Mushfiqur wicket-keeping, remember.
Fifty for Imam-ul-Haq
He hasn't scored at the quickest rate but Shadab has to take some flak for that - came in and got stuck at the striker's end without much returns. But Imam, with his 3rd ODI fifty, is what'll give Pakistan hope. Let's see what we have in store. 115/5 in 31 overs.
Et tu Shadab Khan?
He's been relieved of his cricketing misery, is Shadab. Goes for 4 for 24 balls but that's not it; he's perished to Soumya Sarkar's bouncer [whaaaaaattttttttt]. 95/4, need 146.
Malik goes
Gosh that's a super take by Mortaza at short mid-wicket. A casual whip off Rubel and Malik's been caught out. 85/4, Pakistan need 155 more.
Mini recovery
Now it's Shoaib Malik at it again. He's the wicket Bangladesh need in addition to Imam-ul-Haq. There's a 38-run stand now, coming off 69 balls. 56/3 after 15 overs.
Wicket, Wicket, Wicket!
They're tumbling even before I can say hello again. Even before I can type them for you. Give me more limbs, let me type all the wickets at once for you. Pakistan have lost three wickets already, can you believe that? Mehidy Hasan starts proceedings and gets Fakhar Zaman, thanks to a very athletic take by Rubel at mid-on, and then Mustafizur strikes in his consecutive overs, accounting for Babar Azam with an LBW and Sarfraz Ahmed with a shot some reckon should force Pakistan to find a new captain. Err.... 18/3 after 3.3 overs.
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Access the full innings report here
Bangladesh 239 all out
It could have been very different for Bangladesh. Coming into the game without Shakib Al Hasan, who was laid up by his recurrent finger injury, and then losing their top three batsmen for only 12 runs, Bangladesh looked set for another meltdown until Mushfiqur Rahim's superb 99 proved otherwise. And just when they looked set for an above-par total, Mushfiqur's wicket triggered a collapse that saw Bangladesh lose their last five wickets for 42 runs.
In a redux of Bangladesh's rearguard against Sri Lanka, hence proving that it wasn't after all a fluke, Rahim put on 144 in partnership with Mohammad Mithun for the fourth wicket - Bangladesh's highest fourth-wicket stand against Pakistan - helping Bangladesh set Pakistan a 240-run target in the virtual semifinal at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (September 26).
News on Shakib
Shakib has been ruled out of the Zimbabwe tour after flaring up his long-standing finger injury. Time for him to have that operation maybe, yeah. More deets on the story here.
99 and out........
That's very heartbreaking as a cricket fan. Mushfiqur tries to drive Shaheen Afridi to get to his hundred and ends up edging one behind. He becomes the first Bangladesh batsman to get dismissed for 99 in international cricket.
Another wicket
Doesn't this happen after a big partnership? Now Shadab Khan comes on, partly to help Sarfraz with the run-rate, and gets Imrul Kayes. Ball spins in, beats the inside edge and hits the pad. Imrul wanted to review but Rahim wants the review for someone else. 167/5
26 Sep 2018
And I have jinxed him..
Mohammad Mithun falls, ending a glorious 144-run stand. Hasan Ali comes back and gets a wicket, finally. Bangs it short, tangles Mithun in a false pull shot and runs across the pitch to take the catch. 157/4 after 34 overs.
Mithun's doing it again
As you wait for Bangladesh's potential big finish, here's something from Atif Azam on Mithun, where chief selector Minhajul Abedin talks about why the 27-year-old got picked.
Fifty for Mithun, too
In what's already a record stand, Mithun is doing it again. The same pair helped Bangladesh put up an above-par total against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup's first game and we are seeing something similar here. Though let's not discuss what a good total for Pakistan is -- so beautifully volatile that team is.
This is now the highest fourth-wicket stand for Bangladesh against Pakistan surpassing 110 by Athar Ali Khan & Akram Khan in Colombo RPS in 1997
100 run stand .. and counting!
This innings has taken a complete U-turn. Mithun and Rahim are leading Bangladesh's recovery here in style, latter even getting to a fifty, his 30th in ODIs. Pakistan spinners Shadab and Nawaz have bowled quicker today, thus getting little or no turn on what's admittedly a grassy wicket.
Repairing partnership
That's what Mushfiqur Rahim brings to the table: stability. He's joined hands with Mohammad Mithun and stabilized Bangladesh after their top-order's malfunction. 51-run stand coming off 70 balls between the pair that's laid into Hasan Ali's failure to back up Junaid and Afridi's efforts at the start. 63/3 after 16 overs.
Pakistan lose their review
Not all decisions in life turn out well but this from Sarfraz was as bad they probably get. It was umpire's call .. for impact .. on leg-stump, can you believe? Mohammad Nawaz gets his first delivery to skid in with the arm and raps Mithun's pad. And that's that. Nothing more to the story. 27/3 after 10 overs.
Early wickets -- say what?
Pakistan have been striving for an early breakthrough all tournament and lo, they have one.. two.. three.. Three, THREE
12/2 after 4 overs, and Junaid gets one to straighten just enough from round the wicket, and Liton Das's "off-stump goes for a toss" is what the ball-by-ball commentary describes it as. 12/3 after 5 overs.
26 Sep 2018
Teams:
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Afridi
Bangladesh: Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mominul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman
Toss
BANGLADESH BAT in this virtual semifinal. Shakib Al Hasan is out injured, so he misses the game. In further changes for Bangladesh, Rubel Hossain and Soumya Sarkar return to the side. Pakistan have dropped Mohammad Amir again, this time replacing him with Junaid Khan.
Building up...
Welcome [if you have recovered from *that* match]. I am not exactly friends with people rooting for an India-Pakistan final today. Yea it will rake in the moolah for the tournament, as Prakash Govindasreenivasan rightly mentions in his match preview, but from what I have seen of the two games inside five days between the sides, gee give me something else. Today is about Bangladesh trying to be upend the script and write something glorious for themselves.
Anyway, here's Steve Rhodes hoping Pakistan have a bad day, and then not assuring Nazmul Hossain's place in the side. What a contest we have on our hands today!
In addition to all that, here's the Cricbuzz Live preview.