Despite not being in the running for the final, Bangladesh ended their Asia Cup on a high by beating India in a tight Super Four game in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

Bangladesh prevailed in a game of nerves, exiting the Asia Cup with a narrow six-run win in their final Super Four game over tournament finalists India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.  

Bangladesh team management has already shifted their focus to the upcoming home series against New Zealand as the Tigers' hopes of making it to the Asia Cup final are all but over following defeat against Sri Lanka in their second Super Four match in Colombo on Saturday.

Bangladesh's two most experienced players –Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan – returned to the country on a three-day leave from the team following their defeat against Sri Lanka on Saturday night.

"We haven't been batting well for quite some time. It is a matter of concern. We have to fix these problems," said Shakib

While skipper Shakib Al Hasan pointed to the inability of putting on a big opening stand as one of the reasons behind his team’s 21-run defeat against Sri Lanka in their crucial Super Four encounter, the performance in Saturday's match practically summed up Bangladesh’s inconsistent batting performance throughout the Asia Cup.

Tamim finds it unwise to judge the Tigers after a couple of failures in the ongoing Asia Cup.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan rued the poor shot-selection of the batters after yet another batting failure led Bangladesh to a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against Pakistan in their first Super Four fixture at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.

If the hum of anxiety in and around the team can be muted out, the Tigers' strength can come to the forefront of the performances.

Bangladesh have made the Asia Cup final three times but are still searching for their first trophy. Can Shakib Al Hasan’s side put an end to their trophy hunt? The wait continues but before that let’s take a look at Bangladesh’s strengths, weaknesses, and chances of winning. The Tigers begin their Asia Cup mission with an encounter against Sri Lanka. Can the Tigers trump the Lankans in their opening fixture? To discuss all of this and much more, The Daily Star brings you Star Non-Striker’s End.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan shrugged off talks about a rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka when it came to the Asia Cup as the all-rounder acknowledged the exciting cricket that this particular contest brings.

Shakib had been unable to take part in the Tigers' two-week training camp since he was busy playing Global T20 League in Canada and Lanka Premier League. The 36-year-old was seen in Mirpur but did not participate in the practise game on the last day on Thursday.

The Nidahas Trophy, where Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in a tempestuous encounter to move into the final, has been a talking point in South Asian cricket since 2018, and Hathurusingha was the coach of the Lankan team at that time, having just defected from the Bangladesh dugout. But the coach simply brushed aside any notion of any lingering rivalry

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan expects his team to do well in the upcoming Asia Cup. However, the all-rounder said he would be taking every match separately rather than putting any specific target for his team to achieve in the tournament.

Bangladesh cricketers were geared up to play a very important practice game yesterday as part of their Asia Cup preparations.

Having once captained Bangladesh in the biggest cricket event in 2011, the 36-year-old finds himself at the helm of the ODI side again just ahead of the World Cup after Tamim Iqbal stepped down from captaincy.

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan sought prayers from fans ahead of the Asia Cup after fulfilling one of his commercial commitments in Dubai on Sunday.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and batter Liton Das failed to make an impact with the bat as Galle Titans succumbed to a 34-run loss against B-Love Kandy in the second Qualifier of the Lanka Premier League at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Facing steep challenges both home and away in the previous ODI Super League had seen Bangladesh put on a brave face and set themselves ambitious targets in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup. Newly-appointed ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan also made a similar assertion just a few days back.

"We are a very good team and we are playing really very well in the white-ball format, so now it's time to show everyone how good we are," Shakib said.