Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka lavished praise on his team’s effort despite a narrow four-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in their Super Four opener of the Asia Cup 2025 at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
Sri Lanka managed to seal their berth after securing a hard-fought win over Afghanistan in a do-or-die group stage clash, which booked them a place in the Super Four. Batting first against Bangladesh, they posted 168 runs in their 20 overs, thanks largely to a solid knock by Dasun Shanaka. Speaking after the match, Asalanka acknowledged that while the team showed good fight, they could have finished their innings better.
"It was a terrific game. We held our nerves till the end but it wasn't enough. Pleased about our batting a little bit, we could have done better in the last 2 overs. We were 10-15 runs short. Dasun Shanaka batted really well batting at five. He hit a big six and the dressing room was happy with the score almost 170," Asalanka said at the post-match press conference.
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match report
Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy struck spirited fifties to back their frugal bowlers as Bangladesh registered a nervy four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup Super Fours match. Sri Lanka made 168 for seven, riding on Dasun Shanaka’s powerful 64 (37 balls), but Bangladesh found perfect riposte in Saif (61, 45 balls) and Hridoy (58, 37 balls), ending up the proceedings at 169/6 in 19.5 overs.
The second Super Four clash will take place between Group A toppers India and Pakistan on September 21 at the same venue. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will have to win both remaining matches of the tournament to stay in the tournament.