A day after Bangladesh held their nerve in a last-over thriller against Sri Lanka, opener Saif Hassan said the team now firmly believes they can go all the way to the Asia Cup final.

Saif was at the heart of Saturday night’s four-wicket win in Dubai, cracking 61 off 45 balls to set up Bangladesh’s chase of 169. His innings, followed by Towhid Hridoy’s 58, put the Tigers in control before a dramatic finish in which Nasum Ahmed nudged the winning single with one ball to spare.

“Before coming here, everyone believed we could play the final,” Saif told reporters on Sunday. “Yes, definitely we are confident now. We are one step ahead but still have two tough matches left against India and Pakistan. Our focus is only on the next game.”

The confidence was not misplaced. Bangladesh were staring at an early exit during the group stage but turned things around with a commanding batting display against Sri Lanka, who had been unbeaten in the tournament until Saturday.

Bangladesh start Super 4s by edging past Sri Lanka in Asia Cup nailbiter

Saif recalled how the innings settled after a shaky start. Tanzid Hasan was gone for a duck in the opening over, and Litton Das’s quickfire 23 ended just as momentum built. “After that wicket fell, our plan was to counter-attack,” Saif said. “Litton bhai guided me, telling me what to expect from the bowlers. During the PowerPlay you have to cash in, and Alhamdulillah, it worked.”

His 54-run partnership with Hridoy proved decisive, countering Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers. Later, Mustafizur Rahman’s spell of 3 for 20 was equally crucial. “Mustafizur bhai is a world-class bowler,” Saif said. “He always comes in when the team is in crisis and delivers. That’s what he did again.”

For Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka’s unbeaten 64 went in vain. The captain admitted afterwards that his side were “15 to 20 runs short” and missed chances to squeeze Bangladesh with the ball. “We couldn’t execute like in the earlier games,” Shanaka said. “If we had taken early wickets, it could have been different.”

With India up next on September 24, Bangladesh will need to replicate the composure shown in Dubai. Saturday’s win, though messy at the end, has given them belief that the final is within reach.