Jaker Ali has insisted that Bangladesh’s belief remains intact despite their six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on 13 September, saying the Tigers came to the Asia Cup with the ambition of becoming champions.
“There’s no question of giving up hope,” Jaker said at the post-match press conference. “We’ll play to win. That mentality will stay the same. We came here not just to play matches, we came here to be champions. Losing one game doesn’t mean we abandon our hopes.”
Bangladesh’s top order once again faltered, slumping to 53 for 5 after being asked to bat first. Openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon were both dismissed for ducks, leaving the team reeling. Liton Das (28) and Towhid Hridoy (8) also failed to convert their starts, raising fears the side would struggle to reach three figures. It was the first time in Bangladesh’s T20I history that both opening overs were wicket-maidens.
A resilient fightback came from Jaker himself and Shamim Hossain, who added an unbeaten 86 for the sixth wicket to lift Bangladesh to 139 for 5. Jaker struck 41 not out off 34 balls, while Shamim contributed 42 off 34 deliveries.
Even so, Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably, leaving Bangladesh’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread. They must now beat Afghanistan in their final group game and rely on other results going their way, particularly Sri Lanka’s meeting with Hong Kong.
Reflecting on Bangladesh’s approach, Jaker urged greater responsibility from the top order.
“I think the opening and number three positions are very important. Players must be more cautious. Playing the powerplay doesn’t mean hitting every ball for four or six. Small runs, drop-and-run singles—those matter too,” he explained.
He also pointed to the conditions as a challenge during the partnership with Shamim.
“With the wind blowing one way, you can’t hit both sides of the wicket. You have to play more towards the side where the wind helps,” he said.
The inconsistency of the batting remains a concern, with only Litton showing some measure of reliability. Jaker admitted the early collapse left them unable to take risks later in the innings.
“If we had a good start, things wouldn’t have looked so risky. Since we had already lost too many wickets, we couldn’t take risks for a bigger score,” he said.
