Tonight’s match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was no less than a thriller. Similar to India vs Pakistan fixture last week, the Sri Lankans have taken it to the very end to gain a competitive win over Bangladesh, with just 2 wickets and 4 balls in hand. Here’s how it went;
Sri Lanka Beat Bangladesh by 2 Wickets
Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka caught one of Bangladesh’s openers – Sabbir Rehman, early. Thereafter, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and skipper Shakib build up a stable partnership, only broken by Hasaranga right after the powerplay.
Well, this form was later continued by Mahmudullah and Afif Hossein, who added 50+ runs in 6 overs and raced through the Lankan bowlers. Soon after their departure, a couple of boundaries from Mosaddek Hossain and Taskin Ahmed helped Bangladesh post a good score of 183 runs in their 20 overs.
Except for Dilshan Madhushanka and Maheesh Theekshana, the rest all the Sri Lankan bowlers have been washed out by Bangladesh batters, mostly in the final overs. And with a target of 184 runs, Sri Lanka made a good start by adding 45 runs to the first wicket.
With Kusal Mendis still standing and partnering with several others, Sri Lanka maintained a steady run rate to hopefully reach the target. But with his departure and the fall of the middle order, Lankans seemed to have slipped their chance. But it was the skipper who shone right in time, holding the wickets and taking Sri Lanka almost home.
Nagin celebration by Chamika Karunaratne after the win. ๐๐#BANVSSL #AsiaCupT20 pic.twitter.com/VW1dYNEUnO
— Niranjan Sharma๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ (@Niranjan791) September 1, 2022
A couple of boundaries from Karunaratne and Asintha Fernando added up with some no-ball extras from Bangladesh, letting Sri Lanka win by 2 wickets and 4 balls to spare. On Bangladesh’s side, none except Taskin Ahmed were spared by the Lankan batsmen.
And for his thumping knock of 60(37), Kusal Mendis was named the player of the match tonight. With this win, Sri Lanka advanced to the Super Four stage and will be facing Afghanistan on September 3rd, in Sharjah stadium.