Though Bangladesh lost to India in the final match of the Asia Cup held yesterday they were in no way disgraced. On the contrary they played tremendously against what is perhaps the strongest T20 outfit in the world. In any sporting contest one side has to lose. Unfortunately it was Bangladesh that had to lose in the most important match of the tournament. But their fans can take solace in the fact that the Tigers fought all the way and in the end the Indian batting was just too strong.
Bangladesh performed very well throughout the tournament beating teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka in convincing manner. The victories have been the outcome of team effort where every player contributed. The coaching staff has also successfully blended the unquestioned talent of the players with hard work and dedication that has also largely been responsible for the transformation in the team. A new generation of batsmen and fast bowlers has come together to form a formidable team. A special mention should be made of the skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. The pacer’s infectious energy on the field and composure off it has worked wonders for his team. At 31 and with eight years of international cricket behind him, Mortaza’s success as leader has been a boon to Bangladesh. We would like to congratulate India for becoming the champion in the most important cricket tournament in the continent for the seventh time. In this tournament they were the best team and they excelled in all three departments of the game.   
The Mirpur Stadium was filled to capacity even after torrential rains at one stage raised doubts whether the match would be held at all. To the credit of the ground staff they managed to get the ground ready for the match. Millions of eyes were glued to televisions, particularly for matches where Bangladesh was involved. The Bangladesh national side should be happy that it has such a huge number of devoted supporters who will root for them come what may, sometime even against logic. But passion and patriotism sometimes can be simply overwhelming. Bangladesh cricket team today stands proud and tall based on merit, talent and achievements. Any team in world cricket can take it lightly only at its own peril.
The organisers deserve plaudits for the way the tournament was run. The security of the players and official never came under threat. No one can question Bangladesh’s ability to host important sporting contests.