Bangladesh kept their Asia Cup T20 campaign alive with a hard-fought 8-run win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
The victory secured them the second spot in Group B, behind table-toppers Sri Lanka, and set the stage for a do-or-die clash between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan tomorrow.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted 154 for 5 in their 20 overs. In reply, Afghanistan faltered in the chase and were bundled out for 146 inside their quota of overs, falling short despite a spirited fight.
The result means that Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will battle for the second qualification spot to the next round. For Sri Lanka, a win tomorrow guarantees progress alongside Bangladesh.
However, if Afghanistan manage to beat Sri Lanka, net run-rate will come into play.
In that scenario, Sri Lanka will still have a chance to qualify — but only if they restrict Afghanistan below Sri Lanka’s total in under 12 overs when batting second, or if chasing, keep the losing margin under 70 runs.
All eyes now turn to tomorrow’s high-stakes clash, which will decide who joins Bangladesh in the next stage
