Asia Cup T20 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka – 5 Talking Points

It was time to rejoice for the Bangladesh fans as their team beat the volatile Sri Lanka by 23 runs to earn their second win in three games. It was an eventful day for both the teams. Batting first, Bangladesh posted 146/7 riding on Sabbir Rahman’s brilliant 80 runs. In reply, Sri Lanka steadied themselves after losing an early wicket but crumbled quickly after the halfway stage of the second innings to hand a relatively easy win for Bangladesh. Bangladesh, who has become a force to reckon with at home, clearly gave yet another example why they are not far away from becoming a tough limited overs team.

1. Awful start for Bangladesh:

Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and chose to bat first. However, just like every game which has taken place in the tournament so far, it was the bowler who gained the advantage straight away. Angelo Matthew struck with the second ball of the opening over after he trapped Mohammad Mithun leg before. Experienced campaigner Nuwan Kulasekara then gave another setback to the hosts after he removed Soumya Sarkar in the second over. Mushfiqur Rahim also could not survive for long and also run out due to a mix up a couple of overs later. The Bangla Tigers were reeling at 27/3 and this was not the start one would expect in a must win game.

2. Sabbir Rahman cracks his career-best T20 score:

Sabbir Rahman walked in after the Bangla Tigers lost their second wicket in the 2nd over itself. Rahman, who is regarded as one of the emerging talents in the Bangladeshi team, batted smartly today and rescued his team from slumping further. He stitched a very crucial 82 runs stand for the fourth wicket with Shakib al Hasan which also happens to be the third highest for the 4th wicket overall. Sabbir was batting brilliantly and deserved a century but was unfortunately dismissed in the 16th over. He departed for 80 runs off just 54 balls studded with 3 sixes and 10 fours.

3. Shakib al Hasan dents Lanka’s chase:

With a modest total of 147 to chase, Sri Lanka started off cautiously and were also backed by the luck factor. Taskin Ahmed created a chance off the first ball of the opening over after Chandimal edged one to the Soumya Sarkar at second slip who failed to grab the catch, the following over saw another chance being dropped. This time, it was Mahmuddulah Riyad who dropped a chance. However, the introduction of Shakib al Hasan brought the turnaround for the team as he claimed two quick wickets to dent Sri Lanka’s chase. Chandimal and Shehan Jayasuriya had began to bat freely after losing Dilshan cheaply. However, Shakib got better of Chandimal in the 11th over and came back in his next over to dismiss Jayasuriya to bring back the home into the game.

4. Fast bowlers cash in on the opportunity:

Shakib al Hasan provided the Bangladeshis with two important wickets and created an opportunity for them to cash in, which they did without failing. Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza followed up with one wicket each. Mustafizur trapped Thisara Perera in the 14th over while Mortaza foxed Siriwardana to spoon an easy catch to Sabbir Rahman in the following over. Al-Amin Hossain then snapped up three quick wickets of that of Angelo Matthews, Dasun Shanaka and Nuwan Kulasekara to dash all hoped of winning for Sri Lanka.

5. Sri Lanka falters in chase:

The task was uncomplicated but the Sri Lankans made a mess of it. Chasing, 147 to win, they began very sloppily by giving chances to the Bangladeshis right from the first over. Initially, luck favored them but not for very long. Dilshan got out after getting a start while both Chandimal and Jayasuriya lost their wickets at a crucial moment. Their back to back departure was the turning point for the home team who took advantage and went on to successfully defend the total. The middle order also did stand up to the challenge. Shanaka and Kapugedara did try their best but the efforts were simply not enough in the end as they lost the game by 23 runs eventually.