Mirpur, a fortnight of chases
The 2012 Asia Cup was played entirely at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, the third Bangladesh had hosted after 1988 and 2000. It kept the four-team round-robin of 2010, and it produced the closest and most crowded table the competition has had: Pakistan, India and Bangladesh all finished with two wins from three, and Sri Lanka, the defending finalists from 2010 and a side that had reached the World Cup final the previous year, lost all three.
Bangladesh's two wins were both against sides ranked well above them, and both came in front of a full house.
Tendulkar's hundredth, Kohli's 183
On 16 March, Sachin Tendulkar made 114 from 147 balls against Bangladesh and, in doing so, reached his hundredth international century, a milestone he had been stuck one short of for more than a year. India made 289 for 5. Bangladesh chased it down with four balls to spare, Tamim Iqbal making 70 and Shakib Al Hasan taking the man of the match award. It was the sort of result that had been threatened for years and rarely delivered.
Two days later India played Pakistan. Nasir Jamshed made 112 and Pakistan reached 329 for 6. Virat Kohli then made 183 from 148 balls, still the highest individual score in the Asia Cup, and India won with thirteen balls in hand. He finished the tournament with 357 runs.
Bangladesh's second win, over Sri Lanka on 20 March, was rain-affected and settled by the Duckworth-Lewis method; it put them into the final and India, on run rate, out of it.
Two runs
Pakistan batted first in the final on 22 March. It was not a large total: 236 for 9, with Sarfraz Ahmed unbeaten on 46 from 52 balls and Abdur Razzak taking 2 for 26. Bangladesh needed 237 and were still in it at the end of the fiftieth over.
Shakib made 68 from 72 balls. Mahmudullah was at the crease at the finish with nine needed off the last over. Aizaz Cheema bowled it and Bangladesh managed six. The margin, two runs, is the narrowest in any Asia Cup final; several of the Bangladesh players were in tears on the field.
Pakistan had their second title. Shakib was player of the tournament, Umar Gul the leading wicket-taker with nine, and Bangladesh had reached a final for the first time in any senior competition. They would reach the next one too.