Mahmudullah Riyad slid across the green grass immediately after smacking the winning boundary, his teammates ran towards him

from the dressing room and leapt upon him. That was followed by the players, including captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, and officials embracing each other amidst deafening roars from the stands. The celebration was unbound as the Tigers came out from their self-imposed shell of keeping themselves in check after winning matches.

There was every reason to celebrate it with the same vigour as their initial 50-over successes because the five-wicket victory against Pakistan not only took them to another Asia Cup final but is probably the harbinger of similar displays in a format that was thought to be their weakest. Mashrafe also hinted during the post-match briefing that more celebrations were in the offing. "I am very normal... iflspeakabout the feeling it's really good... every win is good but we are playing the final so this is a lot more enjoyable Honestly speaking I am still normal, but I don't know what will happen afterwards," said Mashrafe, trying to keep his emotions in check

However, the charismatic Tigers leader, the father-figure of the team which has already taken the country to new heights on the world stage, did not wait to say that his boys should keep their feet on the ground as new achievements only raise hopes and responsibility.

"Now only the final is left. After winning three matches the boys are confident but I will still tell everyone to stay grounded and will request everyone not to create any unnecessary pressure because no one was sure whether or not we would play the final. But I must thank the boys who made it possible" said Mashrafe

The Bangladesh skipper termed the win as one of Bangladesh's biggest inT20 cricket.

" One of the best wins, I would say. As far as T20 is concerned it is one of the biggest wins. On the other hand it came at a time when a very important tournament is coming up for us where we have to play and qualify as well. The boys can take a boost from this victory," said an excited Mashrafe.

He also stressed the importance of his team not taking too much pressure, saying that they did not enter the tournament with the expectation of becoming champions, but should still have the confidence to be able to execute their plans. "When we lost the first match I still thought that we could play the final," he added.

"When two fours were hit, he | Riyad| asked me if he should take a chance. I didn't want him to be doubtful, so I told him to do whatever was possible.

"I was sure that we could win if we went to the last over. I wanted him | Riyad] to hit the winning shot. I wanted him to hit the ball," he continued.

But the main component behind the Tigers' sudden success in T20 cricket was probably best pointed out by Pakistan coach Waqar Younis. “They have got some really good fast bowlers, especially Taskin |Ahmed]. I thought he bowled really well, they are growing with time."