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Read: Asia Cup – Bangladesh Squad 2023
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh went head to head in their first match of this Asia Cup edition today. As their main players, things were looking pretty rough for the home side. But the overall record against the Bangladeshis was on their side. And it looks like it is not going to change this time either.
Read: Sri Lankan Squad for Asia Cup 2023
Although things looked great for the Bangladesh team, Sri Lanka pushed them back with force.
What else happened in the match? Who won and who lost? Continue reading to know more about what happened in the match.
Related: Asia Cup 2023 Points Table
Match details
Bangladesh won the toss, and they chose to bat first. This was not a surprising decision, as Pallekelle is a batting-friendly pitch.
Tanzid from Bangladesh made a debut in this match.
Here are the playing 11 from both teams.
| BANGLADESH | SRI LANKA |
|---|---|
| Mohammad Naim | Pathum Nissanka |
| Tanzid Hasan | Dimuth Karunaratne |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto | Kusal Mendis |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Sadeera Samarawickrama |
| Towhid Hridoy | Charith Asalanka |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | Dhananjaya de Silva |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | Dasun Shanaka |
| Mahedi Hasan | Dunith Wellalage |
| Taskin Ahmed | Maheesh Theekshana |
| Shoriful Islam | Kasun Rajitha |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Matheesha Pathirana |
First innings – Bangladesh 164-10
Bangladesh won the crucial toss and made the right decision. But could they capitalize on this advantage? I guess not.
- Sri Lanka’s superb bowling performance guaranteed they bowled out Bangladesh for a meagre score.
- Both openers failed to impress and were replaced inexpensively. Only Shanto kept fighting by holding one end up.
- Wickets continued to tumble from the other end as the Bangladeshi batsmen struggled to adjust to the two-paced character of the surface.
- Shanto was denied a well-deserved century when Theekshana outwitted him with a carrom ball.
- Pathirana was too good for the tailenders, slicing through them for a 4-fer.
| BANGLADESH 164-10 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto 89 (122) | Matheesha Pathirana 4-32 |
| Towhid Hridoy 20 (41) | Maheesh Theekshana 2-19 |
| Mohammad Naim 16 (23) | Dhananjaya de Silva 1-35 |
| TARGET | 165 runs |
2nd Innings – Sri Lanka 165-5
Sri Lanka had a small hill to climb, and they did it. Chasing this target wasn’t that difficult. But the Bangladesh bowlers made it an uphill task.
Here is how it all went down.
- Sri Lanka began Group B with a very easy victory.
- Bangladesh battled bravely with the ball but did not get enough points.
- Today’s pitch was not an easy one. It appeared sticky, and there was assistance for the spinners.
- Perhaps some dew in the evening made things simpler in the second half, and Bangladesh didn’t have the benefit of knowing what total would suffice when it was their time to bat.
- Apart from Shanto’s 89, they struggled after electing to bat. Pathirana and Theekshana performed admirably for Sri Lanka.
- Then, with the bat, Samarawickrama and Asalanka got them out of danger at 43/3.
- The partnership at the end propelled the team to victory.
| SRI LANKA 165-5 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Charith Asalanka 62 (92) | Shakib Al Hasan 2-29 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama 54 (77) | Mahedi Hasan 1-35 |
| Dasun Shanaka 14 (21) | Taskin Ahmed 1-34 |
| RESULT | Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets |
Man of the match
Matheesha’s heroics with the ball made it all possible today. Things could have been difficult for the home side if he hadn’t taken those early wickets. His 4 wickets were crucial to Sri Lanka’s victory. Hence, this award seems well-earned. It was also the first time he had earned this award in an ODI match. He stated:
“This is my first man of the match title for my country, so really happy about it. (T20 skills in ODIs) Slower balls are important, that’s why I took wickets in the death. Useful skill from T20s to fifty overs.”
Matheesha in match cereomony while holding the man of the match award