The Men’s T20I Asia Cup spells resolute drama in cricket, some riveting encounters have been the chill and lows of low-scoring ones. Although battering has grabbed most of the limelight, in these occasions, the collective spirit of the bowlers spells victory, challenging even the modest par set.
There have been numerous records laid through nail-biting defences-from Sri Lanka’s record defences-and-a-revenge win by Pakistan against Bangladesh just recently at the Super Fours stage where teams have been able to stay the pressure in the T20I Asia cup. These are the top 5 defenses in the tournament.
5) 147/7 by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka
On February 28, 2016, in the Asia Cup at Mirpur, Bangladesh defended a modest 147/7 against Sri Lanka with grit and discipline. Sabbir Rahman glittering-ly scored 80 from 54 balls-giving Bangladesh a fighting total after the early wickets. Sri Lanka seemed even more steady at 76/1, but in a cascade of collapses, the middle order wilted under pressure.
Shakib Al Hasan (2/21), who struck from crucial stages, while Al-Amin Hossain (3/34) proceeded with the clean-up lownings, and Mustafizur Rahman (1/19) kept it tight in the middle overs so that no run could be wasted, nay, there were hardly any runs. Despite Dinesh Chandimal’s 37, Sri Lanka couldn’t elevate themselves, collapsing to 124/8.
4) 146/9 – Pakistan Chasing UAE
In the opening edition of the Asia Cup, during a Group-A clash at Dubai on September 17, Pakistan defended 146/9 well against the United Arab Emirates with strong all-round performances. Fakhar Zaman’s fluent half-century anchored the innings, whereas Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late cameo of 29* off 14 balls helped Pakistan set a competitive total. Junaid Siddique then starred for the UAE with 4/18 in keeping Pakistan in check.
In response, UAE faltered despite Rahul Chopra’s ambitious 35, the wickets falling at regular intervals. Shaheen (2/16) then struck with the new ball, Abrar Ahmed (2/13) and Haris Rauf (2/19) tightened the grip, while Saim Ayub also got a wicket as UAE was bowled out for 105 in 17.4 overs, giving Pakistan a 41-run victory.
3) 135/8 – Pakistan Setting Bangladesh Target
Putting Bangladesh to an 11-run win at a do-or-die match in the Asian Cup Super Four between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Dubai on September 25, Pakistan were 135/8 in 20 overs, with important knocks from Mohammad Haris (31 off 23) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (19 off 13).
Forcing Bangladesh to crawl to 124/9 was Shamim’s fighting 30. Shaheen Shah Afridi came in, stole the Indian show with batting and bowling, taking 3 wickets for 17 runs, and earning the Player of the Match award. Afridi and Rauf (3/33) spearheaded Pakistan’s disciplined bowling effort; the spell was enough to prevent Bangladesh from winning the crucial Super Fours match and securing a place in the final.
2) 133/8- Bangladesh against UAE
On the 26th of February, 2016, in Mirpur, Bangladesh managed to defend 133/8 against the United Arab Emirates during the Asia Cup group stages. Mohammad Mithun scored 47, while the 36 not out from Mahmudullah helped the Tigers post a fairly modest total. The UAE bowlers, led by Mohammad Naveed (2/12) and Amjad Javed (2/34), kept the run flow in check for a very long time. But the chase crumbled much faster in front of Bangladesh bowling.
Mustafizur Rahman (2/13) and Mashrafe Mortaza (2/12) struck early on, and then Mahmudullah (2/5) and Shakib Al Hasan (2/20) tightened the screws during the middle overs. They could not stop Muhammad Usman from fighting hard to score 30 runs, though. The momentous downfall would come sooner than they expected as UAE folded for 82 in 17.4 overs and handed Bangladesh a 51-run win.
1) 129/8 from Sri Lanka against the UAE
The Sri Lankans topped the list when they had arguably one of the most lethal bowling attacks in the world. On the 25th of February, 2016, in Mirpur, Sri Lanka defended a paltry total of 129/8 against the United Arab Emirates in the Asian Cup group stage. Dinesh Chandimal had given the Lankans a somewhat competitive total with his 50, while the bowlers from UAE would not let Sri Lanka off at any moment, with Amjad Javed getting 3/25 and Mohammad Naveed 2/27.
But the disciplined bowling from Sri Lanka, stemming chiefly from Malinga’s 4-26 and Kulasekara’s 3-10, saw a huge batting collapse from the other side. Swapnil Patil’s unbeaten 37 was far from enough for the UAE, as they were restricted to 115/9 in 20 overs and lost by 14 runs. Malinga received the Man of the Match award for his four-wicket haul.
