Mushfiq walked in with the Tigers in trouble at 1/2, which soon became 2/3 - or 3/3 with opener Tamim Iqbal retiring hurt after being hit in the hand by a short ball from Suranga Lakmal.
Not only did he revive the innings and was the last wicket to fall, after Tamim had come back to give him support, but also took Bangladesh to what later proved out to be match-winning total of 261 runs.
“It was one of the best one-day innings for Bangladesh,” said skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in all praise for Mushfiq’s brilliant century.
Mushfiq farmed the strike towards the end, and Tamim had to face just one ball as the wicket-keeper batsman moved from 112 to 132 in two overs, thereby bettering his previous best score of 117, before teeing off against Thisara Perera, hitting him for two sixes in the final over.
Even though Tamim was later ruled out of the tournament, the Bangladesh bowlers made sure that Rahim and Tamim’s efforts didn’t go in vain as they bowled Sri Lanka out for 124 runs.
Mushfiq paid tribute to Tamim, “(I was) really surprised to see Tamim come to bat, it’s a great gesture,” said Mushfiq after being declared player of the match on Saturday. “When I saw him, it boosted me to do something for him and for my country.”
“People should always remember him [Tamim],” said Mashrafe, “It was Tamim's decision whether to come out again. If he doesn’t want to bat, no one could push him. The credit goes to him, he took the decision.”
Mushfiq’ 144 stands only below Virat Kohli's 183, which the Indian scored against Pakistan in Mirpur in 2012, and is tied with Younis Khan's144 for Pakistan against Hong Kong in 2004. However, Younis faced fewer balls than Rahim - 122 to 150.
Highest individual scores in Asia Cup
Pos Batsman Score Opposition Year
1 Virat Kohli 183 Pakistan -2012
2 Younis Khan 144 Hong Kong -2004
3 Mushfiqur Rahim 144 Sri Lanka -2018
4 Shoaib Malik 143 India -2004
5 Virat Kohli 136 Bangladesh -2014