Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim said there is no point for the team to look back at issues when on the field.
The statement from the right-handed batsman was based on the injury concerns which Bangladesh have dealt with throughout the Asia Cup, and Mushfiq has asked his teammates not to let it affect their mentality.
The Tigers going into the crucial game against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi Wednesday were struck with the blow of missing all-rounder Shakib al Hasan due to an injury on the cricketer’s finger.
Fear had hit the Bangladesh cricketing arena right away and concerns were raised if the side would be able to overcome the challenge of missing yet another key member of the team.
But the side brushed off all worries defeating Pakistan in the virtual semi-final by 37 runs and emerge as the second finalist of the tournament.
The two innings were eerily similar, but ultimately Mushfiqur Rahim's 99 trumped Imam ul-Haq's 83 to book Bangladesh a place in the Asia Cup final to face India at Pakistan's expense.#PAKvBAN REPORT ⬇️ https://t.co/2bu2vjG3cl pic.twitter.com/43PtrNMVOo
— ICC (@ICC) September 26, 2018
Bangladesh in their third Asia Cup final in the last four editions will take on India in Dubai Friday.
The Tigers since their arrival in the UAE had been struggling over injury concerns.
The side lost opener Tamim Iqbal right in the first game of tournament owing to a fractured left index finger.
A sprained rib saw Mushfiqur Rahim get rested in the second game, against Afghanistan.
But through medication and planned rest, Mushfiq has managed to make himself available for further services.
A number of other cricketers, including Mashrafe bin Mortaza, are carrying niggles but they are not allowing that to affect their job, showing great mental strength.
“Mashrafe bhai told us one thing and we talked about one thing: when you are at war, then you don’t look back. So if you think that I am going to war and I will try to play it safe, that won’t work. Either kill or be killed – one or the other. So that was a huge inspiration, because when you are at war you don’t look at who your captain is, who’s there or not there,” said Mushfiq to the media following their win against Pakistan Wednesday at Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium.
“You have to fight 100% with what you have. So we thought that if we give our 100% without thinking about the result, then Inshallah we will win as the best team. There will come a time when I won’t be there and no one is there forever. The five of us (Mushfiq, Tamim, Shakib, Mashrafe, Mahmudullah) will not be there at one point but even then you have to go on. So this was the talk (when the team were informed Shakib will not be available for the Pakistan game) and everyone was pumped up from there. And if you look at the performance, I think Mustafizur (Rahman) and Mehedi (Hasan Miraz), and (Mohammad) Mithun, I think they are the biggest heroes of (Wednesday’s) match,” the right-handed batsman added.
Like in 2016, it's going to be Bangladesh against India in the Asia Cup final https://t.co/fvZtwvSRDh #PAKvBAN #AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/Vqo3ZTuy2k
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 26, 2018
Mushfiq yet again in the tournament was the cornerstone in Bangladesh’s innings, this time with a 99-run knock.
The Bangladesh openers had once again failed to get off to a good start, making Mushfiq take up the responsibility.
He had Mithun to stitch together yet another innings-saving stand.
The duo on the day added 144 for the fourth wicket and boosted Bangladesh’s total from 12/3 to 156/4.
Mushfiq however, failed to reap the fruit of his efforts after missing out on his seventh ODI hundred by just one run.
The right-handed batsman emerged as the first Bangladeshi to get dismissed for 99 in any format, and first cricketer to fall one short of a century in the history of the Asia Cup.
“To be honest, after winning, I am not hurting anymore. I don’t know how much you know about this, but I always believe that the team come first. If I scored a century, and we scored 260 but lost the match, I wouldn’t have felt good. This is not just lip service, but comes from my heart. My disappointment was heightened because, as I kept saying after coming into the dressing room, a set batsman should bat at least until the 48th over, because the bowling quality they have even at the death, it is not easy to hit when you are new to the crease. As you have seen, we hardly scored 100 runs in the last 20 overs. We scored around 110 (101). So it was obviously disappointing for me. I think the team winning is most important,” said Mushfiq.