'We should win this': Tigresses face do-or-die UAE clash for India semifinal

It is a do-or-die affair for Bangladesh as they take on the UAE in their final Group B fixture of the Women's Asia Cup on Tuesday, with a semifinal berth on the line.

A defeat will see Bangladesh bow out of the tournament, as the UAE also sit on two points from their first two matches.

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The Tigresses won their opening fixture against Thailand by 71 runs and had a golden opportunity to secure a smoother path to the final -- potentially avoiding powerhouse India in the semis -- by beating Sri Lanka on Sunday. However, the batting unit failed to fire, managing just 114 for 8 after taking the crease first.

The bowling attack fought back valiantly, reducing Sri Lanka to 44 for 5 at one stage. Yet, Harshitha Samarawickrama's brilliant unbeaten 37-ball 48 ultimately carried the Lankans to a four-wicket win and safely into the semifinals.

Reflecting on the loss, batter Sobhana Mostary emphasised that the team's attention has shifted entirely to Tuesday's decisive encounter.

"UAE are also a good team. Now our focus is on the last match, and we should win this," Mostary said.

She acknowledged that while work has gone into all three departments, their batting and fielding specifically require immediate improvement. Although Bangladesh generally caught well against Sri Lanka, costly misfields allowed their opponents to maintain the required run rate.

"In the last T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup, we focused heavily on fielding, batting, and bowling. We really need to progress in certain areas, but unfortunately, we miss out on catches [at crucial moments] or make misfields. We can improve in batting and fielding," she added.

Pacer Marufa Akter was the standout performer in Sunday's defeat, claiming three for 21, including the prized early wickets of Chamari Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani with the new ball.

The Tigresses will once again look to their pace spearhead to set the tone on Tuesday, while desperately hoping that skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and the rest of the batting order step up with crunch performances to keep their Asia Cup campaign alive.