Rahim innings 'one of the best' – Mashrafe Mortaza
The star of their success was Mushfiqur Rahim, who dug in to score a 150-ball 144 after Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat. It was a huge innings, as he kept the Bangladesh innings together after Tamim Iqbal retired hurt and wickets started tumbling at the other end. Mohammad Mithun hit a 68-ball63 too, and Bangladesh ended with 261 as a result, before shooting Sri Lanka out for 124.
"It was one of the best one-day innings for Bangladesh. It was (scored) under pressure after we lost two early wickets and Tamim retired hurt. The way Mushfiqur batted, especially the finish – it was really good. I would like to mention Mithun as well. He handled the pressure really well," said Mortaza after the game.
Player of the Match : .@mushfiqur15 pic.twitter.com/bEHEBAkGAR
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) September 15, 2018
Mithun put up a 133-run partnership with Rahim, which helped Bangladesh steady the ship after two quick wickets in the very first over of the game and the loss of Iqbal, who suffered a blow to the left wrist and was later ruled out of the competition.
Mortaza praised the left-hander for coming out to bat again after Mustafizur Rahman was dismissed in the 47th over. Iqbal stayed at the crease while Rahim tried to finish the innings on a high, and the pair put up a 32-run stand for the final wicket.
"It was Tamim's decision whether to come out again. If he doesn't want to bat, no one can push him. The credit goes to him, he took the decision. Losing him is a big blow, but at the same time, we have some players in the bank," said the Bangladesh skipper.
Mushfiqur Rahim and @TamimOfficial28 were the heroes for @BCBtigers in their 137 run win over Sri Lanka in the #AsiaCup.
— ICC (@ICC) September 15, 2018
It was a fantastic comeback for them after finding themselves 1/2 after the first over.
Read the match report for more👇👇https://t.co/oFHnP7Z9Cf pic.twitter.com/E9I3jXV3zp
"It's been fantastic. A win always feels good. Obviously, I have to mention the crowds. The support we had from the very first ball was really good. It was a nice way to start the Asia Cup," added the 34-year-old.
"There's a lot of things we can improve. Hopefully, we can look after our batting in the coming games. We have to improve a little bit in our bowling as well."
Bangladesh go to the top of Group B with the win and are great with their net run rate of 2.74, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the Super Four, while Sri Lanka have a lot to do.