Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh is a budding rivalry in Asian cricket as the two had some memorable matches in the recent past. After getting thrashed by Pakistan in the first match, Shakib and his team were required to bounce back to get on board in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka also knew they had to get something out of this game as crucial clashes against India and Pakistan were lurking on the horizon. Despite the threat of rain spoiling the party, R. Premadasa Stadium was waiting in anticipation for a thrilling clash.
Team Lineups
Sri Lanka played with an unchanged squad from their dramatic narrow win against Afghanistan while Bangladesh made a single change to their eleven.
Sri Lanka
1. Pathum Nissanka 2.Dimuth Karunaratne 3. Kusal Mendis (WK) 4. Sadeera Samarawickrama 5. Charith Asalanka 6. Dhananjaya de Silva 7. Dasun Shanaka (Cap) 8. Dunith Wellalage 9. Maheesh Theekshana 10. Kasun Rajitha 11. Maheesha Pathirana
Bangladesh
1. Mohammad Naim 2. Mehidy Hasan 3. Liton Das 4. Shakib Al Hasan (Cap) 5. Towhid Hridoy 6. Mushfiqur Rahim (WK) 7. Shamim Hossain. 8. Nasum Ahmed 9. Taskin Ahmed 10. Shoriful Islam 11. Hasan Mahmud
Captaincy & Tactics
Dasun Shanaka is neither the best cricketer on his side nor the most skillful. But the leader of Sri Lanka showed his cricketing acumen and decision-making capability once again. Despite not being a regular bowler, he chose to deliver nine over in three spells. This eventually turned out to be a match-winning performance as the batsmen toiled against the unpredictable nature of the pitch. Shanaka also used the double act of Theekshana and Pathirana well to create a deadly mixture of spin and pace bowling.
Shakib Al Hasan has had a tournament to forget and the legend failed to instill any belief into his young side. Despite being in an impressive run of form, Shoriful Islam couple of overs in the power play. He looked unspired and dejected at times as Bangladesh crashed out of the competition in a woeful way.
Batting Analysis
The Colombo pitch was not in ideal condition for batting on as balls were coming at a much slower pace. One batsman who shone above the rest was Samarawickrama. The 28-year-old keeper-batsman adapted to the demands of the pitch well and started playing shots.
Statistics show that Samarawickrama has 83 percent of his shots on the back foot at a controlled rate of 74%. Kusal Menis posted another fifty to continue his impressive form. Birthday boy Dasun Shanaka added 24 valuable runs to the total to get the total past the 270 mark.
Bangladesh’s batting started off in a steady manner and the opening pair put a stand of 55. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was once again promoted to the opening berth and the young all-rounder was oozing class from the beginning. But after his dismissal, Bangladesh batsmen were struggling to find the rhythm.
Mushfiq’s 29 was calm and steadied the ship to some extent. But all hopes rested on the young shoulders of Towhid Hridoy. The 20-year-old was initially finding it difficult to time the ball. But once he got going, it was evident why the U-19 World Cup winner has been rated so highly by his compatriots. He was constantly tested with bouncers and he retorted with regular hook shots.
Towhid also used the cover drive quite effectively. He scored 78% of his runs on the off side. Hasan Mahumed and Nasum Ahmed tried to conjure a late revival but it was too little too late.
Bowling Analysis
Despite being known for honing their craft in spinning bowling, the pace bowling unit of Bangladesh has been a revelation. Shoriful Islam dominated the early hours with finesse. The tall fast bowler was pitching it short to test the mettle of the Sri Lankan batsmen. Shoriful averages 12.76 this year whenever he is bowling with the new ball with a miserly economy rate (3.95).
Hasan Mahmud staged a late comeback to pick up three wickets. Taskin’s rapid pace unsettled the batsmen regularly and the buoyant bowler picked three wickets.
Dashuna Shanaka has been known for his useful medium-pace bowling to feel the quota as a sixth bowler. However, the Sri Lankan skipper played the role of a protagonist in terms of bowling. It seemed an arduous task to find any sort of rhythm against his bowling.
Dunith Wellalage was very difficult to pick and cost just 26 runs from his 10 overs. Maheesh Thikshana was facing issues with his injured finger as went for plenty in the early exchanges.
The mystery man found his mojo at the death and picked up crucial wickets to steer Sri Lanka to victory.
The young gun Pathirana was also expensive yet effective. He was regularly hitting the block hole with raw pace to claim three wickets.
Fielding Analysis
Mushfiqur Rahim has been a reliable figure in the modern history of Bangladesh cricket. However, the experienced campaigner has been under close scrutiny because of his shortcomings as a wicketkeeper. He dropped Pathum Nissanka to give the Sri Lankan opener an early let-off.
Kusal Mendis was exonerated by Shamim Hossain. The youngster couldn’t grab on to the opportunity and somehow made it worse by sending it over the boundary. Hasan Mahmud restored some of the Bangladeshi fielding pride by showing the presence of mind to run Wellalage out.
The Sri Lankan fielding has been a joy to watch over the last couple of years.
Despite being tested and prodded, the young lions stood up to the task. Kasun Rajitha’s brilliant diving catch to dismiss Mushfiqur Rahim was the fielding highlight of the day.
Key Performances
Sadeera Samarawickrama played with grace and intent to score 93 runs at a strike rate of 129.17. Kusal Mendis posted another fifty to post a big score on a challenging wicket. Both batsmen preferred playing their shots on the back foot. The Bangladeshi pace trio of Hasan, Taskin, and Shoriful claimed eight wickets.
Towhid Hridoy was the lone resistance for Bangladeshi batters as his innings gave the Tigers some hope. But he was not given enough support to chase the target down.
Dasun Shanaka took the pace off his ball and stifled the flow of runs. Both Theekshana and Pathirana claimed three wickets to secure a dazzling start for the hosts in the last four stages of Asia Cup 2023.
Turning Point
At one stage, Bangladesh needed 60 runs from 40 runs to record an impressive comeback. Towhid Hridoy just whacked a six off a free hit from Theekshana and looked quite determined. The crafty Sri Lankan pitched one on the good length and the ball span just a bit to the right.
Hridoy missed the line of the ball and it hit his front pad. The umpire raised his finger and even a review couldn’t save Bangladesh’s last ray of hope. It all but confirmed a Sri Lankan victory to send Bangladesh through the exit door.
Match Result
Sri Lanka won the match by 21 runs to send Bangladesh out of the tournament.
Player of the Match
Sadeera Samarawicrama was awarded the best player of the match as his dazzling innings put Sri Lanka in a fighting position.
Brief Scorecard
| Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| Total : 257/9 (50 overs) | Total : 236/10 (48.1 overs) |
| S. Samarawickrama 93 (72) | T. Hridoy 82 (97) |
| K. Mendis 50 (73) | M. Rahim 29 (48) |
| H. Mahmud 3/57 | D.Shanaka 3/28 |
| T Ahmed 3/62 | M. Pathirana 3/58 |
Match Highlights
Match Wrap-Up
Sri Lanka started their “Super 4” stage with a brilliant win powered by Samarawickrama and Shanaka. The young Bangladeshi side fought really hard but in the end, the target was too much an ask for them. Bangladesh camp will rue their mistakes and need to find solutions before the World Cup starts early next month. Sri Lanka has mouth-watering fixtures against India and Pakistan as the tournament its most intriguing stage.
