, Sept. 17 -- Bangladesh are still alive in the Asia Cup, but only just.

Their eight-run win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday has left the Tigers in contention for a Super Four spot, though the final say now rests with the outcome of Thursday's Sri Lanka-Afghanistan clash.

Here's how the path looks: if Sri Lanka win, Bangladesh are through.

If the game is washed out, Bangladesh also qualify. But if Afghanistan win, the equation gets tangled in the unforgiving world of net run rate, where Litton Das's side are on shaky ground.

The numbers tell the story.

Bangladesh have four points from three games, but their net run rate sits at -0.270. Sri Lanka, with two wins from two, already boast +1.546. Afghanistan, despite having just ...