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Nuwan Thushara's stunning hat-trick unsettled Bangladesh's top order, leading to a 28-run defeat for the hosts against Sri Lanka in the decisive third match of the three-match T20I series at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on March 9. Chasing 175 for the win, Bangladesh quickly found themselves in trouble at 24/5 in the fourth over, thanks to Thushara's explosive hat-trick in only his eighth T20 appearance. Without the valiant efforts of Rishad Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, Bangladesh's loss could have been significantly more severe.
Nuwan Thushara wreaks havoc on Bangladesh
Thushara's early wickets of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Tawhid Hridoy, followed by the dismissal of Mahmudullah in front of the wicket, left Bangladesh floundering and marked him as the fifth Sri Lankan to achieve a T20 hat-trick.
Notably, Mumbai Indians bought Thushara for a whopping Rs 4.8 crore in IPL 2024 auction.
Before Thushara's intervention, Dhananjaya de Silva made the initial breakthrough by dismissing Liton Das in the third over. Bangladesh's situation worsened rapidly, finding themselves 15 for 4 soon after.
Thushara, playing in place of the injured Matheesha Pathirana, continued his impressive performance by taking down Soumya Sarkar in the next over. The early loss of half their side had Bangladesh facing a daunting defeat within the powerplay.
The team struggled to recover from these early setbacks, losing their sixth wicket at 32 as Hasaranga took out the previous match's hero, Jaker Ali.
Rishad Hossain and Mahedi Hasan provided some resistance with a 44-run partnership for the seventh wicket, but the target proved too challenging. Rishad's efforts, including multiple sixes, brought some excitement to the home crowd, though his and Taskin's late innings ultimately only narrowed the margin of defeat.
Kusal Mendis' impressive 86 spurs Lanka to 174
Earlier, Sri Lanka set a target of 174 for 7, thanks to Kusal Mendis' impressive 86. Bangladesh opted to field first upon winning the toss, managing to break through early but unable to contain Sri Lanka's scoring. Despite Bangladesh's best efforts, they were all out for 146, missing the opportunity to secure their first T20 series win against Sri Lanka. The match will be remembered for Thushara's hat-trick and Rishad's fighting innings, with Thushara named player of the match for his 5 wickets for 20 runs.
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