Sri Lanka propelled to the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2022 with a victory in the thriller against Bangladesh in a direct knock-out on Thursday (September 1) in Dubai. The Lankans chased down a massive target of 184 in a game that twisted back and forth before eventually falling in their favour in the final over.
Walking a tricky rope at the death, where they lost wickets but also kept playing their shots to keep up with the asking rate, Sri Lanka would have a sense of appreciation for critical cameos played by their end-overs mavericks Chamika Karunaratne (16) and Asitha Fernando (10). The duo provided the final touches to their team’s innings and snatched a victory out of the Bangladeshi hands.
But to ensure the Lankan Lions went toe to toe with the opposition for the major chunk of their run-chase, it needed knocks of substance from elegant opener Kusal Mendis and skipper Dasun Shanaka. While Perara smashed his way to a freeflowing half-century (60), Shanaka continued his impressive rise into a T20I powerhitter with an innings of 45 off 33.
But for these two, Sri Lanka could’ve easily lost their way and caved to the pressure of the asking rate. Mendis’ opening partner Pathum Nissanka struggled through his 19-ball 20 and left the onus on the rest of the batting unit to push up the run-scoring. It also didn’t help that the middle-order trio of Charith Asalanka (1), Danushka Gunathilaka (11), and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (2) never came to the party.
That Sri Lanka still made it home had a lot to do with the Mendis-Shanaka partnership and then the lower-order duo of Karunaratne and Fernando. Bangladesh would’ve been left to rue conceding a position of strength with the ball in hand, especially as they gave away 18 extras on the night, including 8 wides and 4 no-balls.
These extras gave Sri Lanka enough breathing space to keep their chase going even when the run-scoring became a task. Taskin Ahmed (2/24) and Shakib Al Hasan (0/31) bowled good spells in the context of the game. But another death-over failure for Mustafizur Rahman (1/32) and a nervy old-ball spell by Ebadot Hossain (3/51) hurt the Bangladeshis very badly.
On a flat pitch where run-stopping was never easy, the Sri Lankans, too, were taken to the cleaners. But they managed to keep the opposition below the 200-mark with exceptional spells from Dilshan Madushanka (1/26) and Maheesh Theekshana (1/23), their eight overs went for just over 6 an over and made a telling difference in the end outcome of the knock-out.
Sri Lanka would be slightly concerned over a poor outing for their first-choice spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who picked up 2 wickets but was dispatched for 41 runs off his 4 overs. Known for his lower-trajectory and skiddy nature with an indecipherable mix of googlies, Hasaranga notoriously flighted the ball and gave Bangladesh time to get underneath his deliveries.
Wary of their top-order issues, Bangladesh promoted lower-order batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open in a pinch-hitter’s capacity and the player repaid the trust shown in him by scoring a 38 off 26. Afif Hossain top-scored for his team with a knock of 39 off 22 balls. Down in the order, Mosaddek Hossain continued his good form via a cameo of 24 not out off 9 deliveries. But painstaking knocks from skipper Shakib (24) and the experienced Mahmudullah (27) held Bangladesh back and left them well short of the 200-mark.
Brief scores
Bangladesh 183/7 in 20 overs (Hossain 39; Theekshana 1/23, Madushanka 1/26) lost to Sri Lanka 184/7 in 19.2 overs (Mendis 60, Shanaka 45; Hossain 3/51) by 3 wickets
