Sports Desk:

Before leaving for the UAE to play in the Asia Cup 2025, Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik said they were going to the tournament to win it. But the reality has turned out to be quite different. After starting the tournament in style with an easy seven-wicket win against Hong Kong, the Bangladeshi cricketers suddenly find themselves in trouble and on the verge of elimination.

Even so, Jaker remains hopeful about their chances of qualifying for the Super Four after a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka.

“There is no question of giving up hope. We will play to win. We went into this match with that mentality, but it did not happen. In the next match, we will play with the mentality to win. There is no other way. We did not come to the tournament just to play matches. We came to be champions,” Jaker said at the post-match press conference.

Things could have been very different if Bangladesh had managed to beat Sri Lanka on Saturday. A win would already have secured them a Super Four berth.

Now, Litton Das and his team face a must-win clash against Afghanistan on Tuesday, a match Bangladeshi fans can rightly consider “do-or-die.”

Afghanistan, the current Group B toppers, hold a strong net run rate of +4.700 after crushing Hong Kong by 94 runs. In contrast, Bangladesh’s net run rate slipped from +1.001 to -0.650 after the loss to Sri Lanka.

That is where the real trouble begins for Bangladesh. For Afghanistan, a win over Bangladesh would almost seal their spot in the Super Four. For Bangladesh, victory against Afghanistan is a must, and they also have to hope Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan later in the group stage.

Before doing all the mathematics of qualification, Bangladesh must first secure victory on the field. Any slip against Afghanistan, whom they have faced 12 times and beaten 5 while losing 7, would end their campaign. Encouragingly, Bangladesh have beaten Afghanistan in 2 of their last 3 encounters, although both wins came on home soil.

In Abu Dhabi, conditions will be different. The desert wind, Afghanistan’s strong opening pair, and their variety of bowlers, ranging from finger-spinners to wrist-spinner,s will pose serious challenges. Opener Sediqullah Atal is in red-hot form, veteran Mohammad Nabi continues to deliver in the middle order, and Azmatullah Omarzai has been effective as a finisher.

Bangladesh’s batters will also face a stern test against Afghanistan’s spin attack led by Rashid Khan, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, and Noor Ahmad. Openers Tanzid Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon must survive the new-ball spell of pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, while Towhid Hridoy, if included in the XI, will need to anchor against spin in the middle overs. If he misses out, Saif Hassan is likely to take his place.

With all these factors in mind, Bangladesh head into Tuesday’s clash against Afghanistan knowing one thing clearly: it is do-or-die.