Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh Played at Sarjah on 24 October 2021
Sri Lanka 172/5 In 18.5 Overs (Charith Ashanka 80* , Bhanuka Rajapaksha 53 ,Shakib 2/17 ,Nasum 2/29 )
Bangladesh 171/4 (Mohammad Naim 62, Mushfiqur Rahim 57*)
Sri Lanka won by 5 Wickets
Player Of The Match: Chraith Ashanka
Young Lankan Lions playing true to their potential prevailed over clueless Bangladesh in a high scoring match Sharjah beating them by 5 wickets.
Bangladesh put into bat first on a hot day managed scoring impressive 171/4. At innings break many thought it a competitive score. At one stage reducing Lankans to 79/4 in the 10th Bangladesh was hoping to wrap up the match. Ashanka and Rajapaksa struck together a fluent partnership. They started striking sweetly all around the park. Suddenly Mahmudullah lost ideas in shuffling his bowlers. Liton dropped sitters twice of both the batsmen. The Lankan pairs grabbed the opportunities with both hands and producing the match winning 86 in the 5th wicket partnership buried Bengal tigers hopes lead their team to 5 wickets victory. In the group of death Sri Lanka started in brilliant fashion. Bangladesh messed it up making it their mission thorny.
Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka in the practice match prior to the commencement of the tournament. Yesterday the teams read the wicket with different lenses. Sri Lanka packed their attack with pacers while Bangladesh replaced Taskin with Nasum. It was the first match Nasum played in the tournament. When Sri Lanka winning the toss inserted Bangladesh to bat few questioned the decision. Fewe thought wicket may get slower and lower making chasing difficult. The wicket had small boundaries on one side and a reasonably large boundary on the other side.
Bangladesh did not bat poorly. Rather Naim (62) and Mushfique (57*) put Bangladesh in a comfortable position finishing at 171/4. Naim’s anchor role and Mushfique recovering his form at the right time created opportunities for team tigers to push for a win. Mushfique was looking great striking balls very sweetly. He struck five fours and two sixes in his unbeaten innings of 57 in 37 deliveries. This is the vintage Mushy we all know. Naim also looked in great shape. He scored his second fifty of the tournament. Shakib however, missed with the bat managing only 10. Mahmudullah should have come at his original position. The theory of right hand and left-hand combination does not always work. There was no point sending Afif ahead of Mahmudullah in the match at that stage. Another 10 runs could be useful.
Bangladesh started with all spin attack much to the astonishment with few. Nasum off course delivered removing Kushal Perera in the very first over. But team think tank did not realize that Lankans are good players of spin and pacers could have got greater purchase early on. Lankans started belting Bangladesh bowlers before super Shakib struck double blows in one over and Saifuddin following up made it 79/4. But undaunted Lankans kept on counter punching. Especially Ashanka was playing aggressively all around. Rajapaksa was bit rusty at the start. But he soon also stepped up the tempo. Mahmudullah brought himself into the attack and gave Afif an over. His plan B did not work. He could not let his most successful bowler of the day Shakib completing his quota. Liton dropping both Ashanka and Rajapaksa dropped the match. In a close match dropping catches hurt and it hurt Bangladesh. Ashanka batted Bangladesh out of the match with stroke full unbeaten 80 scored off 49 deliveries striking five fours and five sixes.
It was an impressive win by young Sri Lanka. In the group of death the deafest would badly hurt Bangladesh mission. Bangladesh definitely read the wicket wrong. It remained true batting wicket throughout. Sri Lanka proved a much better prepared, better-organized side. Better team on the day won. Wonder, why Mahmudullah did not follow right strategy in using his bowling resources. Definitely bringing Shakib at crucial stage could make a difference. He should have attacked Lankan Batsman more for taking wickets when it appeared that the score cannot be defended checking runs. Perhaps he was acting on remote control.
BDST: 1142 HRS, OCT 25, 2021
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