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Asia Cup 2023 | Pathirana, Asalanka Power Sri Lanka To Clinical Win Over Bangladesh

image-llzdwbu5Sri Lankan batters chased the target comfortably (Twitter)

Sri Lanka launched their Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a commanding seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh in Match 2 of the tournament courtesy of a comprehensive performance at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

BAN vs SL: How did the battle pan out?

Early Batting Jitters

Chasing a relatively modest total of 165, the hosts faced initial hiccups as they lost both openers, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne, with just 15 runs on the board.

Mendis-Samarawickrama Partnership

Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama came to the rescue, stabilizing the innings with a crucial 28-run partnership. However, Mendis's resistance was cut short by Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan's bowling.

Asalanka and Samarawickrama's Fight

Joining hands with Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka displayed calculated batting, building a vital 78-run partnership. While Asalanka chose to play defensively, Samarawickrama took advantage of loose deliveries and scored a notable half-century. However, just post his fifty, he was stumped off Mahedi Hasan’s delivery for 54.


Finishing Touch by Asalanka and Shanaka

Dhananjaya de Silva's short-lived innings ended with Shakib striking again, bowling him out for just 2. However, Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka displayed composure with the former securing his half-century, leading Sri Lanka to a thumping victory target with five wickets in hand.

Bangladesh's Batting Woes

Earlier in the game, the Sri Lankan bowlers dominated Bangladesh batter and restricted them to just 164 runs. Mohammad Naim and Tanzid Hasan, Bangladesh's openers were dismissed early. The only significant resistance came from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who narrowly missed a century, falling to Maheesh Theekshana's deceptive carrom ball for 89 runs.

Sri Lanka's Bowling Dominance

The pitch's dual nature seemed to perplex the Bangladeshi batters. Matheesha Pathirana emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, ending with impressive figures of 4/32, ensuring that Bangladesh was bundled out in just 42.4 overs.

Brief Scores

Bangladesh: 164/10 (42.4)

Najmul Hossain Shanto 89 (122), Towhid Hridoy 20 (41)

Matheesha Pathirana 4-32 (7.4), Maheesh Theekshana 2-19 (8)

Sri Lanka: 165/5 (39)

Charith Asalanka 62 (92) Sadeera Samarawickrama 54 (77)

Shakib Al Hasan 2-29 (10), Mahedi Hasan 1-35 (10)

Sri Lanka won by five wickets