Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka started off their Asia Cup Super Fours campaign with a 21-run win over Bangladesh at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, and Matheesha Pathirana took three wickets each as Bangladesh failed to chase down a target of 258. This was Bangladesh's second defeat at the Super Fours stage and they are practically out of the tournament barring a few unlikely permutations and combinations.
Bangladesh's run chase got off to a decent start. Mehidy Hasan Miraz looked to score boundaries. On the other end, Mohammad Naim played cautiously. In the 12th over, Shanaka broke the 55-run opening partnership. Miraz scored 28 runs from 29 balls. In Shanaka’s next over, Naim went for the pull shot but the top edge landed in the wicketkeeper's gloves. Once again, Naim departed after getting a decent start. He scored 21 runs from 46 balls. Pathirana in his second over got the prized wicket of Shakib for a single-digit score. Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage got the better of Litton Das. He scored just 15 runs from 24 balls.
Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim tried to get the run chase back on track but the required run rate kept climbing up. Shanaka came back into the attack and got the wicket of Mushfiqur who scored 29 runs from 48 balls. In the same over, Hridoy reached his half-century from 73 balls. Hridoy tried to shift gears but did not get help from the other end. Shamim Hossain got out lbw to Theekshana. In his next over, Theekshana trapped Hridoy and Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps. Hridoy scored 82 runs from 97 balls including seven fours and a six. Pathirana troubled Islam with his pace as he hit the stumps. Nasum Ahmed and Mahmud played a few shots to make Sri Lankans nervous but they could not get Bangladesh home. Pathirana’s yorker cleaned up the stumps as Bangladesh got all out for 236 with 11 balls left in the innings.
Earlier, Shakib won the toss and opted to field first. Dimuth Karunaratne hit a few boundaries but lost his wicket to Hasan Mahmud. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis shared a 72-run partnership for the second wicket. The partnership was broken by Shoriful Islam who trapped Nissanka in front of the stumps. The opener scored 40 runs from 60 balls. Mendis reached his half-century from 69 balls. Shoriful in his next over got the wicket of Mendis. He scored 50 runs from 73 balls including six fours and a six.
Charith Asalanka struggled to rotate the strike. He lost his wicket to Taskin in an attempt to take the aerial route. Dhananjaya de Silva became Mahmud's second victim of the day. He departed for a single-digit score. Meanwhile, Sadeera Samarawickrama scored quickly. He got to his half-century from 45 deliveries. Skipper Shanaka became Mahmud's last victim of the day. He got bowled trying to play the scoop shot. He contributed with 24 runs from 32 balls. Samarawickrama looked to score quickly in the slog overs. A few wickets fell but Samarawickrama kept firing from one end. He got out off the final ball of the over. His 72-ball 93 laced with eight fours and two sixes took the hosts to 257/9.
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