Saif Hassan says Bangladesh one step closer to the final

Player of the Match against Sri Lanka Saif Hassan is of the view that Bangladesh has taken another step towards the final of the 2025 Asia Cup.

Just a couple of days ago, Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Super Four depended on Sri Lanka. Now, after beating them, the team has started to dream anew. Players had always spoken about aiming for the championship, though few truly believed it. Perhaps even now, the doubters remain.

But the reality is clear—Bangladesh can indeed make the final. After defeating Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in Dubai yesterday, the path ahead looks simpler: beat either India or Pakistan, and the door to the final will be wide open.
Saif Hassan said, “Before coming into the tournament, we all believed we could play the final. Now we’ve taken another step forward. Still two matches remain. Our focus is entirely on the next one.”

For Bangladesh, an Asia Cup final is nothing new—they’ve reached it three times before, only to return empty-handed each time. If that story repeats, it won’t be unfamiliar.
Yet Saif insists on keeping the dream big.

“We should dream. We should dream big. We need to take it step by step. Our next match is against India, and our full focus is on that. After that, we’ll see.”

Chasing 169 against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost a wicket in the very first over. But Saif steadied the innings, scoring 61 off 45 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes. After guiding Bangladesh to victory, he was asked a rather amusing question.

Since his maternal relatives live in Sri Lanka, did beating them feel any different? Saif replied, “Not really. I’ve never even been to my maternal home in Sri Lanka. So I don’t know.”
Still, he admitted the innings was special to him.

“Today’s innings was special. I was able to contribute to the team. Hopefully, better things are yet to come.”

- Agencies