Sri Lanka’s hitters, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Charith Asalanka, sowed the seeds for their team’s success.
In Sylhet, it all came down to the final over. With Jaker Ali on a rampage at the non-striker’s end, Bangladesh needed 12 runs to chase down 207, but Dasun Shanaka hit some perfect lengths and lines to enable Sri Lanka win the opening Twenty20 International in Sylhet by three runs.
When Jaker came onto the field, Bangladesh required ten runs in four balls. Shanaka, however, maintained his composure to go full on off; Jaker attempted to get under the ball, but it went through the bat’s bottom, and Charith Asalanka, the stand-in captain, perfectly timed a low catch to his left at long-off.
Even so, Bangladesh’s No. 10 Shoriful Islam took a leg-bye off the penultimate ball and hammered his first ball over extra cover, meaning it was not over. Taskin Ahmed was left with two shots to hit—a four to tie and a six to win—but he was unable to accomplish either. As soon as Taskin toe-ended another wide, full ball from Shanaka, settling for just a single, the Sri Lankan fielders began to celebrate.
However, the hitters from Sri Lanka planted the seeds for this victory much earlier. Despite being without Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, and regular skipper Wanindu Hasaranga, who is serving a ban for an outburst at the umpires, they managed to score 206 for 3. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama both scored fast fifties while they were away.
Bangladesh is humble following the initial blow from Shoribul.
They only spoke for two balls about putting their past rivalries behind them. Shoriful imitated Angelo Mathews’ celebration after catching Avishka Fernando behind, as they played in the World Cup last year. Shakib and Bangladesh had caused controversy by successfully requesting that Mathews be timed out, and Mathews had responded by grabbing Shakib’s wrist during the chase.
Kamindu Mendis was dismissed by Taskin in the fifth over, but not before he had struck two sixes in his 14-ball 19. After being quiet throughout the powerplay, Kusal Mendis hammered Rishad Hossain for two straight sixes in an 18-run over in the 12th over, which really got things moving. He reached a half-century off of 28 balls with the second of those sixes.
Asalanka performs an intense display.
Leading that attack, Asalanka hit six sixes. In the 17th over, he hit Taskin over deep square leg after striking him over wide long on. He misled Mustafizur Rahman for a deep third, then hit Shoriful with a similar shot for a six beyond the cover point. Moreover, he hit a misfiring Mustafizur for two sixes in the final over.
Mathews reveals the top order in Bangladesh
As the visitors dominated Bangladesh in the powerplay, Mathews scored two of Sri Lanka’s first three goals. In the opening over, Litton was caught behind after playing a foolish stroke that involved shuffle walking outside off stump and then attempting to flip to leg. After making twelve in the fourth over, Soumya Sarkar skied Binura Fernando, and Mathews had Towhid Hridoy caught behind for eight. Hridoy, who was in form, had only faced four more balls after hitting a fantastic six off the first one.
Mahmudullah oversees healing
Similar to Hridoy, Mahmudullah began his innings with a six, although he applied more pressure to the Sri Lankan bowlers. He hit Mathews for an extra cover off the opening ball, and then in the seventh over, he gave Bangladesh their fifty, hitting Dasun Shanaka. While losing captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah was able to find a replacement player named Jaker who was eager to rotate the strike.
Jaker succeeds Mahmudullah.
Avishka Mahmudullah’s innings ended with Fernando making a fine catch at the long-on boundary, taking him out for 54 off 31 balls. That appeared to be the end of Bangladesh’s pursuit, but Jaker decided to shift gears at this precise moment.
He hit a six over square leg off Maheesh Theekshana in the over that yielded the wicket, then in the next over he blasted two sixes to the leg side off Shanaka. In the next two overs, he struck two more sixes off Pathirana and Theekshana. In the latter, he fought greatly with cramp and finished the 11-ball over for 19. Wicketkeeper Kusal was so inept in this over that he was even observed standing nearly at second slip to collect the ball.
