'Very happy to contribute for the team. The wicket was very good and I tried to time the ball and hold my shape.'
Opener Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy hit half-centuries as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in an Asia Cup Super 4 match in Dubal on Saturday.
Sri Lanka scored 168/7, with Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten 64 being the highlight of their innings despite some fine bowling by Mustafizur Rahman (3/20) and Mahedi Hasan (2/25).
Hassan then struck 61 off 45 balls, while Towhid hit 58 off 37 deliveries to help Bangladesh to victory.
Player of the match Hassan said at the post-match presentation: 'Very happy to contribute for the team. The wicket was very good and I tried to time the ball and hold my shape. Litton (Das, captain) was helping me and it was easy batting with him. He was supporting a lot, he was making my game easier, he was anticipating quite well and telling what the next ball would be.'
Speaking of how they tackled the Lankan bowling, Hassan said: 'The preparation was good, we had a good plan against their bowlers. We had a plan against him (Nuwan Thushara), for the right-handed batsmen, to hold our shape and play straight, that worked a lot.'.
Tipping his hat to opener Hassan for his quick but composed knock during the chase, Bangladesh captain Litton Das said: 'I know Saif can win games for Bangladesh. We all knew he's going to be a good player in UAE.'
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