Shanaka and his team delivered an impressive bowling performance, dismissing Bangladesh for a mere 164 runs, and later they reached a total of 165/5 in 39 overs to secure 2 points.
In the second match of the 2023 Asia Cup, held in Pallekele on Thursday, Sri Lanka faced Bangladesh in a more evenly contested encounter following Pakistan’s one-sided victory over Nepal in the tournament opener. Despite missing star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and a few key fast bowlers due to injuries, Sri Lanka, the defending champions of the Asia Cup and having secured their place in the upcoming ODI World Cup through qualifiers, put up a strong performance against Bangladesh.
Choosing to bat first in challenging conditions, Bangladesh struggled to establish partnerships. Najmul Hossain Shanto anchored the innings at No.3, scoring 89 runs off 122 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup faltered. Towhid Hridoy, batting at No.5, contributed 20 runs, but the rest of the visiting team’s batting was disappointing, losing their last six wickets for a mere 37 runs.
Matheesha Pathirana, a right-arm pacer who has made an impact in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings, was the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 4/32 from 7.4 overs. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest Sri Lankan to achieve a four-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
In response, Sri Lanka encountered early trouble at 15/2 and then 43/3 as Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Kusal Mendis were dismissed by Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, and Shakib Al Hasan, respectively. However, the team recovered as Sadeera Samarawickrama (54 off 77) and Charith Asalanka (62* off 92) formed a crucial 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket, effectively sealing the victory.
Samarawickrama, who registered his fourth ODI half-century, hit six boundaries in his innings. Mahedi Hasan stumped him in the 30th over, and Shakib removed Dhananjaya de Silva 11 balls later, but Bangladesh’s effort to stage a comeback remained limited.
Asalanka demonstrated composure and went on to achieve his ninth ODI fifty, featuring five fours and a six, while captain Shanaka remained unbeaten on 14 off 21 as Sri Lanka secured the win.
In their upcoming matches, both the Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan teams will travel to Pakistan to face Afghanistan, the third team in Group B, at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.
