Bangladesh, pitted against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2018, must try to get off to a winning start, stressed Mashrafe Mortaza, their captain.
The Asia Cup, to be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from 15 to 28 September, has Bangladesh starting out on the opening day against Sri Lanka in Dubai.
“I think every team is a threat for us,” Mortaza, the talismanic 34-year-old all-rounder, said on Thursday, 6 September, after the team’s preparatory camp in Dhaka.
“If you look at the bowling strength of Afghanistan and all-round potency of the Sri Lankans, anything can happen. So, for us, the opening game is the most important. If we can do well in the opening game we have a chance to progress further in the tournament.”
With just three teams in each group – the other one features India, Pakistan and Hong Kong, It could get tricky for Bangladesh if they don’t get the better of Sri Lanka, because their next game is against Afghanistan, who trumped them 3-0 in a Twenty20 International series in India’s Dehradun in June this year.
The format is not the same, but the threat Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan’s star spinners, bring to the table is known.
“If we can win the opening match we are sure it will help us to handle Rashid and Mujeeb much better,” said Mortaza of the game in Abu Dhabi on 20 September. “But if don’t do well in the opening game, it will be even twice as difficult to beat them. The first game will set the tone for us.”
