172/5 (18.5)
CR : 9.13
171/4 (20.0)
CR : 8.55
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match
C Asalanka
0/1480(49)
18.3
1
N Ahmed to D Shanaka
Skipper's in and skipper gets off the mark. On the shorter side, Shanaka on the backfoot cuts it hard through the covers for just a single.
18.4
2
N Ahmed to C Asalanka
Length ball outside off and Asalanka charges down the track to hoick but miscues it over the backward point region and they hare back for the second.
18.5
4
N Ahmed to C Asalanka
FOUR AND GAME IS OVER!!!!! Asalanka has taken Sri Lanka home, here in the UAE!!!!! Thick edge goes running down to the fence. Welcome runs as well as finishing runs these for the Lankan Lions. Asalanka lucky here, length delivery on the fourth stump line as he comes forward to drive but gets a thick outside edge past the keeper and runs away to the fence for a boundary.
SL won by 5 wickets
Akshay: That’s it. Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by five wickets. Mahmudullah looks around in disbelief. What a turnaround this has been for Sri Lanka. They looked out of the game at the halfway stage in the chase but a sensational partnership from Asalanka and Rajapaksa helps them chase down the total in the 19th over. Asalanka remains unbeaten on 80 to take his side across the line. It will be a hard pill to swallow for Bangladesh as they couldn’t seize the crunch moments in the game.
Sri Lanka had the worst possible start to the chase as Kusal Perera was knocked over in the very first over. Charith Asalanka joined hands with Pathum Nissanka as they both put a solid partnership. The 69-run stand was broken by Shakib in the ninth over and he cleaned up Avishka Fernando in the same over for a duck. Sri Lanka found itself in a spot of bother at the halfway stage. But Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa had other ideas in their minds as they started taking on the Bangladeshi bowlers. They started finding the fence regularly as the Tigers let the game slip away from them. Two drops from Litton Das hurt them badly as the Lankan side chased down the total with 7 balls to spare. Birthday Boy Rajapaksa departed on 53 but he had done his job of helping his side chase down a mammoth total.
Earlier in the day, it was Dasun Shanaka who won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Bangladeshi openers started cautiously as the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled well upfront. They sent back Liton Das and Shakib in quick succession. Mushfiqur Rahim joined Naim Sheikh and both led the recovery work. Both brought up half-centuries as they laid the foundation for Bangladesh to finish with a flourish. Rahim hit some lusty blows in the end to power Bangladesh to 171.
Charith Asalanka bags the Player of the Match award for his fantastic knock of 80 from 49 balls.
Charith Asalanka "It's always a pleasure to play for the country and win. They are very happy for me and always encourage me to go play my natural game. When the first ball I faced, I knew it was a pitch and Rajapaksha supported me as well. He changed the momentum of the game and played beautiful shots.
Mahmudullah | Bangladesh skipper: "We were confident of defending this total. Liton Das and Naim gave a solid start. Naim played a brilliant innings for us and Musfiqur in the end helped us post a good total.
We leaked runs and failed to hold onto the chances. That cost us the game.
Looking forward to playing England in the next game."
We leaked runs and failed to hold onto the chances. That cost us the game.
Looking forward to playing England in the next game."
Dasun Shanaka | Sri Lanka Skipper: "It was not the easiest target to chase down.It was all about hitting boundaries. Once the batters are set, any target can be chased.
It was a fantastic innings from both Asalanka and Rajapaksa and it's important for the youngsters to step up in these types of tournaments."
It was a fantastic innings from both Asalanka and Rajapaksa and it's important for the youngsters to step up in these types of tournaments."
That's it from us at OneCricket and Cricket Exchange. Do switch tabs as India take on their arch-rivals Pakistan. This is me, Akshay Bhide, signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Anurag Singh and AryaSekhar Chakraborty. Bye Bye.