A couple of months ago, Sri Lanka had lost a series at home to Bangladesh, but in the Asia Cup, they turned the tables by defeating Liton Das’ side.
Wickets fell in the first over, and again in the second. Nightmare or disaster? Whatever it was, Bangladesh struggled in the first 10 overs. They managed some resistance with the bat later and showed a glimmer of hope with their bowling, but ultimately, they couldn’t sustain the fight. Sri Lanka secured a comprehensive win with dominant performances both with bat and ball.
Having lost the T20 series to Bangladesh on home soil a few months back, Sri Lanka began their Asia Cup campaign by beating the same team by seven wickets.
Bangladesh’s defeat was largely sealed in the early stages of the match. Zaker Ali and Shamim Hossain put together an unbeaten 86-run partnership off 61 balls for the sixth wicket, taking the team from 5/53 to 139. This 86-run stand became a record for Bangladesh for the sixth wicket.
Chasing the target, Sri Lanka didn’t face much trouble, finishing the game with 32 balls to spare. Opener Pathum Nissanka scored a fifty, while Kamil Mishara, who came in at number three, remained unbeaten with 46 runs off 32 balls after narrowly escaping an early dismissal.
The pair added 95 runs off 52 balls for the second wicket. Despite losing three quick wickets toward the end, the margin of victory was never in doubt.
After losing the toss at Sheikh Zayed Stadium and opting to bat first, Liton Das said, “The wicket looks good. There shouldn’t be any problem batting first.” But Bangladesh found themselves in immediate trouble.
In the first over, Nuwan Thushara bowled successive full-length deliveries, troubling Tanzid Hasan. Despite five dot balls, Tanzid’s poor shot on the final delivery saw him dismissed. In the next over, Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Parvez Hossain Emon in a similar fashion. After two overs, Bangladesh were 0/2.
The team’s first run came on the 14th delivery from Liton’s single. Tawhid Hridoy, coming in at number four, also struggled, and after four overs, Bangladesh were 4/2. After surviving a catch earlier, Hridoy was run out attempting a third run (9 off 8) due to a direct throw from Kamil Mishara.
Bangladesh’s first boundary came from Liton in the fifth over. In the next over, he hit three more boundaries off Dasun Shanaka, completing the powerplay with some resistance. Promoted to number five, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan (7 off 9) was out to Wanindu Hasaranga’s googly in the same over.
Hasaranga struck again in his next over when Liton attempted a reverse sweep and was dismissed for 28 off 26 balls, leaving Bangladesh in trouble at 5/5.
From here, Zaker and Shamim formed a partnership. Zaker hit a boundary off Shanaka’s delivery, and the duo worked to rebuild, though they couldn’t accelerate the scoring pace. After 15 overs, Bangladesh hadn’t found consistent boundary scoring.
Shamim finally smashed a six off Mathisha Pathirana in the 19th over, adding 18 runs from the over, including three wides. Zaker hit another boundary in the last over, helping Bangladesh reach close to 140. Zaker finished unbeaten on 41 off 34 balls, while Shamim scored 42 off an equal number of deliveries.
Bangladesh’s bowling needed early breakthroughs, and Mustafizur Rahman delivered one with the new ball, dismissing Kusal Mendis in the second over after conceding a six to Pathum Nissanka. Tight bowling kept Sri Lankan batsmen in check, with only 26 runs coming from the first four overs.
The momentum shifted dramatically in the fifth over when Kamil Mishara hit one six and two fours off Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, effectively breaking Bangladesh’s resistance. Mishara cleared the long-on boundary again in the next over. By the end of the powerplay, Sri Lanka were 55 without major trouble.
Runs kept coming steadily. Nissanka hit two more fours off Mustafizur, and 18 runs came in Rishad Hossain’s first over. Sri Lanka crossed 100 in the tenth over, with Nissanka scoring his first fifty against Bangladesh in their seventh meeting and becoming the third Sri Lankan to reach 2,000 international T20 runs.
The innings eventually ended as Zaker and Shamim’s partnership finished, and Dasun Shanaka was caught brilliantly by Mustafizur. Captain Charith Asalanka struck a massive six to seal the win before the 15th over, ensuring Sri Lanka’s dominant start to the Asia Cup.
Score summary
- Bangladesh: 139/5 in 20 overs (Tanzid 0, Parvez 0, Liton 28, Hridoy 8, Sheikh Mehedi 9, Zaker 41*, Shamim 42*; Thusara 4-1-17-1, Chamira 4-1-17-1, Shanaka 3-0-27-0, Pathirana 4-0-42-0, Hasaranga 4-0-25-2, Asalanka 1-0-6-0).
- Sri Lanka: 140/4 in 14.4 overs (Nisanka 50, Kusal Mendis 3, Mishara 46*, Kusal Perera 9, Shanaka 1, Asalanka 10*; Shariful 3-0-26-0, Mustafiz 3-0-35-1, Tanzim 3-0-23-1, Sheikh Mehedi 4-0-29-2, Rishad 1-0-18-0, Shamim 0.4-0-4-0).
Result: Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets.
Man of the Match: Kamil Mishara.
