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Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana celebrates a wicket on his way to career best figures
Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama struck half-centuries to see
Sri Lanka home
Najmul Hossain Shanto was the only Bangladesh to put up any resistance with 89
Sa’adi Thawfeeq reporting from Pallekele
Young Matheesha Pathirana stood up for the injured Sri Lankan bowlers when he returned his best figures in ODI cricket – 4/32 to give the defending Asia Cup champions a winning start to their campaign towards retaining the trophy in the night match played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
The big question before the match commenced was how would Sri Lanka’s second line of bowlers in the absence of Chameera, Hasaranga, Kumara and Madushanka fare against a full-strength Bangladesh side.
They responded magnificently rising to the occasion with Player of the Match Pathirana leading the way to bowl out Bangladesh for 164 in the 43rd over and then despite losing two early wickets romping home on the back of a 78-run partnership between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka who both completed fifties.
Samarawickrama compiled a well-constructed innings when the team needed it, scoring 54 off 77 balls (6 fours) before giving the charge to Mahadi Hasan and getting stumped.
Asalanka who went through a lean period with the bat in the LPL regained his form at the appropriate time with a delightful half-century to guide Sri Lanka home in the company of his captain Dasun Shanaka. Asalanka struck five fours and a six in his unbeaten knock of 62 off 92 balls. Shanaka made 14*, as Sri Lanka won with 11 overs to spare.
The win was Sri Lanka’s 11th on the trot and a new record for them in ODIs. The earlier record was 10 achieved on two occasions in 2004 and 2013-14.
Apart from Pathirana who struck deep into the Bangladesh batting each time he was brought on, all the bowlers used by Shanaka responded superbly.
Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva and Pathirana took a wicket each in their first over and went onto strangle the Bangladeshi batters to the extent that in their entire innings there was only a dozen boundaries scored, seven of them coming off the bat of opener Tanzid Hasan. Tanzid made full use of a dropped chance at two by Shanaka at mid-on to play the only innings of substance for his team. He struck it out for 122 balls for 89 before Theekshana finally breached his defence. Najmul’s wicket was the last bastion for Bangladesh as they lost their last four wickets for two runs.
It was unfortunate that none of the batsmen stayed long enough to build any noteworthy partnerships with Najmul. Towhid Hridoy who played for Jaffna Kings in the LPL made 20 out of a stand of 59 for the fourth wicket.
Sri Lanka’s bowling was backed up by some exceptional fielding but for a few lapses. They also used the reviews to good effect as well as waste them. Mendis held onto a stunning one-handed catch to his left to get rid of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and Shanaka came up with an excellent review against Hridoy to break the threatening partnership with Najmul. But Sri Lanka also wasted some of them and when Mushfiqur Rahim got a faint edge off Pathirana at 12 and the umpire turned down the appeal, they didn’t have any reviews left. Ultra edge showed a spike.
For Bangladesh to have any chance of making a game of it they needed early wickets. Their two opening bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam provided them with it by having openers Dimuth Karunaratne (1) and Pathum Nissanka (14) back in the pavilion by the fourth over. Kusal Mendis was out of sorts and struggled 21 balls for five runs before Shakib Al Hasan ended his misery by castling him as he played for the turn. But the total was insufficient for Bangladesh to defend on a slow pitch which the Lankan batsmen adapted to very well.
