Pallekele, (UNI) Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka’s half-centuries and 78 runs off 119 runs for fourth wicket partnership, helped Sri Lanka pull off a 5-wicket win in a Group B match against Bangladesh at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 165 runs, Sri Lanka faced early setbacks as openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne were dismissed cheaply by the Bangladeshi seamers.
Kusal Mendis faced difficulties, managing only 5 runs from 21 balls, and his struggle came to an end when he was dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan.
Despite the mounting pressure, Sadeera and Asalanka (62 off 92 balls) turned the tide in Sri Lanka’s favour. The duo displayed remarkable skill, achieving half-centuries that steered the match in Sri Lanka’s favor.
Once Sadeera was dismissed for 54 off 77 balls, Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka finished the chase with ease. Bangladesh’s bowlers, including Taskin Ahmed (1/34), Shoriful Islam (1/23), Shakib Al Hasan (2/29), and Mahedi Hasan (1/35), displayed notable efforts, but ultimately Sri Lanka secured a resounding victory.
Bangladesh’s decision to bat first brought a fresh face to the pitch in the form of debutant Tanzid Hasan, who stepped in for the injured Litton Das.
However, the Bangladeshi openers struggled to find their footing, with Mohammad Naim Sheikh (16 off 23 balls) and Tanzid Hasan (0 off 2 balls) falling early to Sri Lankan spinners.
Even skipper Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t hold his ground and was caught spectacularly by Kusal Mendis.
The partnership of Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto, though, injected some stability with a 59-run stand off 80 balls. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, Srilankan skipper Dasun Shanaka’s review resulted in the dismissal of Hridoy (20 off 41 balls).
Meanwhile, Najmul Hossain Shanto displayed exceptional composure, notching up a crucial 89 off 122 balls.
Mushfiqur Rahim’s contribution of 13 off 22 balls boosted the team’s total to 164 runs.
Sri Lanka’s bowling attack was led by Maheesh Theekshana, who took 2 wickets for 19 runs, and Matheesha Pathirana, who took 4 wickets for 32 runs. Both bowlers bowled tightly and made it difficult for the Bangladeshi batsmen to score runs. Both Theekshana and Pathirana emerged as the stars of the bowling attack.
