The hype across the bourgeoning rivalry did not stay as much as its billing as Sri Lanka coasted to a snug five-wicket victory towards Bangladesh within the Asia Cup on the Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium right here on Friday.
It didn’t look like it could be a easy chase when Sri Lanka misplaced each openers inside the primary 4 overs. However the calm heads of Sadeera Samarawickrama (55, 77b, 6×4) and Charith Asalanka (62 n.o., 92b, 5×4, 1×6) prevailed because the southpaws curtailed Bangladesh’s fightback with a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
The pitch appeared to have eased up for the duo because the pull pictures pinged off the willow and the sweep was employed with conviction regardless that the spinners maintained a stranglehold on the scoring and even added late spice to the competition.
With 44 wanted in 21 overs, a sudden rush of blood acquired the higher of Samarawickrama, who stepped out, was crushed by the flip and stumped off Mahedi Hasan. Ten balls later, Dhananjaya de Silva was bowled, giving Shakib Al Hasan the cost.
However the activity at hand was too simple for a few poor pictures to throw Sri Lanka into disarray. Asalanka labored his solution to an 85-ball fifty and helped amplify the decibel ranges of a middling crowd with the solitary six of the match, which introduced the equation right down to single digits, earlier than sealing the win with a pull to the midwicket boundary.
Earlier, within the absence of its first-choice tempo trio and ace leg-spinner, the Sri Lankan bowling unit stepped into the breach comfortably by bundling Bangladesh out for 164.
Highlights | BAN vs SL, Asia Cup 2023
Shakib’s choice to bat underneath rainclouds hovering above wasn’t superb and a two-paced pitch didn’t assist. However opposite to expectations, the spinners wreaked extra harm than the pacers with the brand new ball.
Bangladesh packed its prime 4 with left-handers and Sri Lanka duly responded, urgent into motion off-spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya within the first eight overs.
The ploy labored like a dream as each had taken a wicket every off their second and fourth deliveries within the match, respectively. Theekshana had debutant Tanzid Hasan leg-before for a duck with one which drifted in and beat his defence, whereas Dhananjaya made most of Bangladesh’s run-drought within the seventh over as Mohammad Naim, in search of a launch within the eighth over, acquired an out of doors edge and skied the ball into the arms of level.
Dasun Shanaka’s rotation of bowlers obtained one other shot within the arm when Matheesha Pathirana struck together with his fourth ball of the match, his further tempo leading to Shakib gloving the ball to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, who took a nifty reflex catch.
To Bangladesh’s credit score, with three wickets down for 30-odd inside 11 overs, it didn’t panic. Najmul Hossain Shanto (89, 122b, 7×4) and Towhid Hridoy arrested the slide with a composed 59-run partnership that took the Tigers to the edge of the 100-run mark by the twenty fourth over.
Shanto had proven braveness by sweeping Theekshana for his first boundary after which pulling Pathirana on a pitch the place the ball wasn’t actually coming onto the bat. His accomplice Hridoy tempered his intuition and helped in rebuilding however was undone by captain Shanaka’s in-swinger two balls after Shanto signaled a shift in momentum by chopping the ball late for a boundary to succeed in his 66-ball half-century.
All of the resolve on show rapidly evaporated as Bangladesh misplaced the next six wickets for 69 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim blocked Pathirana’s yorker-length deliveries thrice in a row however was caught at third-man going for an uppercut off a brief one.
Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz had been concerned in an embarrassing mix-up that left each on the identical finish. A livid Shanto, headed to the dugout, was stopped by the umpires and the replay confirmed Mehidy the door as a substitute.
Additionally learn | Why was Mehidy Hasan Miraz given runout with each batters on identical facet?
Shanto pulled the following supply to the boundary however was cleaned up by Theekshana 11 runs wanting his second ODI century. Pathirana then diverse his tempo to wrap up the tail and scale back to Bangladesh to a complete that was by no means going to be sufficient.