Desk Report:
Bangladesh won two of the three group stage matches, but they could not show their best with the bat. Bangladesh managed to match their best with the bat in the Super Four. Yesterday in Dubai, they won the first match of this round as the better team with the bat; they defeated Bangladesh by 4 runs. Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka in the group stage.
Bangladesh’s target for victory was not easy. In the previous three matches of the ongoing Asia Cup, Bangladesh’s highest score was 154, while they had to chase 169 runs to win yesterday. Although the target was challenging, Bangladesh batted with a fighting spirit from the beginning. While Sri Lanka’s scores were 44/1 and 72/3 in the first 5 and 10 overs, Bangladesh’s scores were 48/1 and 82/2.
Bangladesh was led by Saif Hasan and then Towhid Hridoy with the bat as they managed to score runs at the asking run rate. Saif came in to open and scored 61 runs, reaching fifty in 36 balls. His 45-ball innings included 2 fours and 4 sixes. Hridoy also scored a fifty. He reached fifty off 31 balls and scored 58 runs. His 37-ball innings included 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Saif and Hridoy needed 12 runs in the last two overs with excellent batting. A very easy target. However, Bangladesh made an easy match complicated by losing 2 wickets in the last over. When 1 run was needed off the last two balls, Nasum quickly changed the end and reveled in the excitement of victory by pushing the ball at point. Bangladesh won by 4 wickets with one ball in hand.
Earlier, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 168 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Dasun Shanakar contributed a lot to Sri Lanka’s score. The Sri Lankan batsman played an unbeaten innings of 64 runs off 37 balls. However, Bangladesh’s fielders contributed to the greatness of the Sri Lankan innings. It was as if Bangladesh’s fielders had taken the field with soap on their hands that day. They missed at least three sure catches!
Sri Lanka got off to a good start in batting. They were racing towards 50 without losing a wicket. Taskin Ahmed brought the breakthrough with the last ball of the fifth over, returning Patum Nishanka. Nishanka returned to 22 runs off 15 balls with 3 fours and 1 six. Sheikh Mehidy caught Kusal Mendis (34) before he became dangerous after the power play. He bowled Kamil Mishara in the very next over. Sri Lanka’s score was then 65 for 3.
After that, the Sri Lankans came under a little pressure. However, that pressure was later relieved by Shanaka’s stormy batting. His innings, which was made up of 3 fours and 6 sixes, had a strike rate of 172.97. The Sri Lankans scored 17 runs in the 15th over bowled by Nasum. Shanaka hit two sixes through the legside and a four over short fine leg. After Kusal Perera fell to Mustafizur, captain Charit Asalanka also tried to find a rhythm.
Most successful with the ball was Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh’s cutter master took 3 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs. With these three wickets, he reached Shakib Al Hasan’s record of 149 wickets for Bangladesh in this edition.
