Sri Lanka drew first blood in the T20I series after easily disposing Bangladesh by 7 wickets with an over to spare. Kusal Mendis was the star as his 73 off 51 balls guided Sri Lanka to a comfortable win and a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. Kusal Mendis was ably assisted by Pathum Nissanka as the duo ripped Bangladesh apart in the powerplay from which they hardly could recover.
Bangladesh had a decent powerplay scoring 54 runs for the loss of one wicket. But they faltered in the middle overs and could not quite get the finish they desired for. They finished with 154/5 which was way below par and in reply, Sri Lanka tore apart Bangladesh with Pathum Nissanka scoring 42 off 16 balls as they made 83 runs in the powerplay. The match was as good as over there as the rest of the batters took their time with no run rate pressure and got over the line with an over to spare.
All-round bowling display keeps Bangladesh under 160.Â
Put into bat first by Charith Asalanka, Bangladesh got off to a racing start courtesy of their openers Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan. Emon was the aggressor of the two while Tanzid held one end up. It was Nuwan Thushara who got rid of Tanzid Hasan for 16 off 17 balls as Tanzid hit a yorker on leg straight to midwicket. The ball came off the toe end of the bat. Captain Litton Das came in at 3 as Bangladesh ended a decent powerplay at 54/1 in 9 overs.
It was in the middle overs that Bangladesh faltered a bit as they began losing the plot. Jefrey Vandersay got into the wickets column as he dismissed Litton Das for 3. The Bangladesh captain missed out with bat and was pinged right in front. Soon Maheesh Theekshana got into the wickets column by getting rid of the set batter Parvez Hossain Emon for 38 off 22 balls laced with 5 fours and a six to his name.
Emon tried to take the bowler on and was holed out at long-off by Dasun Shanaka. Mohammed Naim and Towhid Hridoy were at the crease and they took Bangladesh to 79/3 in 10 overs at the halfway stage when Drinks was called into action.
Runs had dried up post the Break and soon Dasun Shanaka got into the act by dismissing Towhid Hridoy for 10 off 13 balls. It was a good length delivery outside off to which Hridoy hung back to go for the cut but is cramped for room to play it. He got the outside edge to the keeper and Kusal Mendis made no mistake by diving to his right to take the catch. Bangladesh had slumped to 89/4 in 12.3 overs with Mehidy Hasan Miraz joining the crease at 6 alongside Mohammed Naim.
Naim later reviewed a successful LBW review against him and got the decision overturned in his favour. The ball pitched outside the leg stump. From time to time, the duo hit boundaries as the 100 came up in 14.4 overs. With 5 overs to go, the score was 108/4 for Bangladesh. Miraz and Naim built a nice partnership of 46 runs off 36 balls but failed to get the accelerator when required. Both played their shots and improvised when required but Sri Lanka kept them under check.
Maheesh Theekshana broke the partnership getting rid of Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 29 off 23 balls laced with 4 boundaries. It was a fuller length delivery outside off that Mehidy tried to get underneath it but swung at it. He sliced it in the off-side where Charith Asalanka moved back from covers and took the catch at the edge of the ring with a reverse cup.
Shamim Hossain came and played a cameo. He hit Maheesh Theekshana for a maximum to end the 19th over. He also got a maximum of Nuwan Thushara off the 4th ball of the last over as Bangladesh ended with 154/5 in 20 overs. 9 extras given by the Sri Lankan bowlers.
It was a good all-round bowling display by Sri Lanka. Maheesh Theekshana finished with figures of 2/37 in 4 overs. Dasun Shanaka back in the side had a good day with the ball as he ended with miserly figures of 1/22 in 4 overs. Jeffrey Vandersay back in the side in place of injured Wanindu Hasaranga finished with 1/25 in 4 overs. Nuwan Thushara also picked up a wicket in his 1/32 in 4 overs.
Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka obliterate Bangladesh in the chase.Â
The chase of 155 began with a bang as Pathum Nissanka was quick off the blocks hitting a hat-trick of boundaries off Mohammed Saifuddin to kickstart proceedings. Kusal Mendis was not far behind as he hit Taskin Ahmed for two fours and a six in the very next over. Sri Lanka were in no mood to slow down as Nissanka then tore apart Tanzim Hasan Sakib for a six and two boundaries as Sri Lanka raced to 46 in 3 overs.
The carnage did not stop there as Taskin Ahmed bore the brunt of Kusal Mendis next being hit for two sixes and a four as Sri Lanka raced past 50 in 3.1 overs and were looking to get more runs. With the score reading 64 in 4 overs.Mehidy Hasan Miraz was brought into the attack. Pathum Nissanka greeted him with 2 sixes off 3 balls, but Miraz finally provided a breather for Bangladesh as he got Nissanka dismissed for 42 off 16 balls laced with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name. It was a fuller delivery outside off, Nissanka mistimed the shot high in the air looking to go downtown as Rishad from mid-on moved forward to take the catch. Sri Lanka were already 78/1 in the 5th over.
Things quietened down to a degree after the departure of Nissanka. Kusal Perera walked in at 3 and took his time. At the end of the powerplay, Sri Lanka were 83/1 with Kusal Mendis batting on 38* off 15 balls. With no real pressure of the asking rate, Sri Lanka took their time in the middle overs as Bangladesh tried to pull things back.
Kusal Perera got a six to his name to feel better. The 100 came up for Sri Lanka in 8.1 overs. Kusal Perera punished Rishad Hossain’s first over hitting two boundaries as Sri Lanka reached 111/1 in 10 overs when players took Drinks Break with the hosts needing a further 44 runs off 60 balls.
Kusal Mendis completed his half-century off 31 balls at the end of the 11th over. Runs were coming in singles as Bangladesh had another moment to cheer about as Rishad dismissed Kusal Perera for 24 off 25 balls. It was a tossed up delivery where Perera looked to get down on one knee and went for the sweep to get a top edge square of the wicket in the leg side. Litton Das ran to his right with gloves on and took the catch. Avishka Fernando came in next with the score at 120/2 in 12.5 overs.
Avishka also took his time and so did Kusal as runs came in singles for the next few overs. Mendis hit a boundary off Taskin in the 16th over to break the shackles. He hit Rishad Hossain as well in the 17th over for a boundary. With 7 runs needed, Kusal Mendis’ innings was cut short as Shamim Hossain took a brilliant catch as Saifuddin got a wicket to his name. It was a good length delivery on the stumps which Mendis looked to flick it away but closes the bat face a tad early. He got a leading edge in the off-side. The ball almost evaded Shamim inside the circle but Shamim timed his jump to perfection to pluck it out of thin air in his right hand. Mendis fell for a magnificent 73 off 51 balls laced with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Captain Charith Asalanka came to the crease to join Avishka and finished things off in style in the last ball of the 19th over hitting Tanzim Hasan Sakib for a six down the ground over long-on. Fuller length delivery which was in the slot as Asalanka from deep in his crease smoked it handsomely over long-on for the maximum. Asalanka remained unbeaten on 8 off 5 balls while Avishka remained unbeaten on 11 off 17 balls as the game was done and dusted in 19 overs.
It was a tough outing for the Bangladesh bowlers. They pegged things back post the powerplay but lost the game inside the first 6 overs. Rishad Hossain finished with 1/24 in 4 overs while Mehidy Hasan Miraz finished with 1/24 in 4 overs. Mohammed Saifuddin got a wicket with figures of 1/22 in 3 overs. The rest went wicketless and went for runs as well. So, Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead in the series and for his swashbuckling innings, Kusal Mendis was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
The teams will now head from Pallekele to the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla for the second of three T20Is to be played on Sunday, the 13th of July. The hosts, Sri Lanka, will look to seal the series there and take an unassailable 2-0 lead with a game to spare while the visitors will hope to draw level and set up a decider at Colombo later on.
So, will Sri Lanka seal the deal in Dambulla or will we go 1-1 into the final match of the series in Colombo? Only time will tell as we wait for Sunday night to arrive.
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