After Tamim Iqbal’s heroics last night against Sri Lanka, we look back at instances where cricketers risked further injury and put their bodies on the line for their nation. Tamim might have faced only four deliveries overall but his sheer bravery put the wind right back on Bangladesh’s sails

Although the scoreboard shows that Tamim Iqbal scored just two runs off four balls in the Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka , skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza gushes in praise of the opener's bravery

Mushfiqur Rahim, during a career-best knock of 144 -- 32 of which were scored off 15 balls after Tamim’s unexpected appearance -- proved once again why he is the best all-round batsman Bangladesh have.

That Bangladesh won the opening match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka yesterday by a crushing 137-run margin at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium does not even begin to tell the story. Mushfiqur Rahim scoring a career-best 144 off 150 balls to lift Bangladesh to 261 after Bangladesh were reduced to one run for two wickets by the end of the first over by danger man Lasith Malinga reveals a bit more, but still not the full picture.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has suffered a fractured left wrist after being hit by a bouncer from Sri Lanka pacer Suranga Lakmal early in their Asia Cup opener.

Lasith Malinga was not picked by Sri Lanka for a year as the board wanted him to prove himself in the domestic circuit. He did just that and yesterday showed that being a champion sportsman is like riding a bike.

Last man Mustafizur Rahman had a brain freeze with 3.1 overs still left and the job, despite Mushfiqur Rahim's stellar unbeaten ton, nowhere near done.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has suffered a fractured left wrist after being hit by a bouncer from Sri Lanka pacer Suranga Lakmal early in their Asia Cup opener. He will not take any further part in the match and there is serious doubt about his participation in the rest of the regional cricket extravaganza.

The good news for Bangladesh seems to be that the recovery of the injured pair of Tamim and Shakib -- both managing finger injuries.

Bangladesh posted a good total of 260 thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim's unbeaten 144 that featured some lusty late blows.

Ahead of their Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka today in Dubai, Bangladesh got a minor scare as wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim experienced pain in his ribs, but team manager Khaled Mahmud says he will be okay to play.

On the tour of Zimbabwe in 2013, then Bangladesh spin bowling coach and former Pakistan off-spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq bemoaned the team's lack of adventurism.

Lasith Malinga, 35 and not quite at his quickest any more, is back in the Sri Lanka 50-over squad for the Asia Cup 2018, and the team expect great things from him as usual.

The scene was set at the media room of the Dubai International Stadium yesterday for the pre-tournament press briefing. There were six chairs on the dais waiting for the six captains to lead their countries in the Asia Cup.

Having made the finals in two of the last three editions of the Asia Cup, Bangladesh must now be considered as one of the serious contenders for the title of the regional cricket extravaganza starting today at the Dubai International Stadium. Their place in their group -- ranked above both groupmates Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, who they take on today -- justifies that billing.

When Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup opener in Dubai today, they will deal with the familiar and the unfamiliar in a quest to progress to the second round of a tournament that has been structured in a brand new format.

Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal has been in fantastic touch in recent ODIs and will be looking to extend his run-scoring form at an important tournament like the Asia Cup.

The teams currently preparing for the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates have been put up in the Dubai InterContinental Hotel in a part of the city called Festival City, which seemed aptly named as it is the headquarters of the cricket carnival about to start from tomorrow when the Asia Cup gets underway with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka.

This year's Asia Cup is likely to have an extra factor other than the teams duking it out on the pitches of the Dubai International Stadium and the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium.

There is a special place for the Asia Cup in Bangladeshi hearts because growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, it was the tournament that served as the backdrop for the India-Pakistan rivalry, set the stage for the emergence of Sri Lanka and, more relevantly, provided a venue for Bangladesh to start rubbing shoulders with the big boys on a regular basis.