Sri Lanka 206 for 3 (Samarawickrama 61*, Kusal Mendis 59) beat Bangladesh 203 for 8 (Jaker 68, Mahmudullah 54, Mathews 2-17) by three runs
Still, it was not done, as Bangladesh’s No. 10 Shoriful Islam slammed his first ball over extra cover, and took a leg-bye off the penultimate ball. That left Taskin Ahmed needing to hit a four to tie and six to win, but he could manage neither. The Sri Lanka fielders started celebrating as soon as Taskin toe-ended another wide, full ball from Shanaka, managing just a single.
Bangladesh meek after Shoriful strikes first blow
Taskin then removed Kamindu Mendis in the fifth over but he had already set the ball rolling with two sixes in his 14-ball 19. Kusal Mendis, who was quiet in the powerplay, properly got going in the 12th over when he struck Rishad Hossain for two consecutive sixes in an 18-run over. The second of those sixes got him to a 28-ball half-century.
Asalanka puts on a fiery show
Asalanka led that assault, belting six sixes. He struck Taskin over wide long-on before pasting him over deep square leg in the 17th over. He sliced Mustafizur Rahman over deep third, before hammering a similar shot off Shoriful for a six over cover-point. He struck a wayward Mustafizur for two sixes in the last over too, powerfully over point, and the last one over deep square leg again. Asalanka and Samarawickrama added 73 runs for the unbroken fourth-wicket stand in the last 5.2 overs.
Mathews exposes Bangladesh top order
Mathews got Sri Lanka two of their first three breakthroughs as the visitors dominated Bangladesh in the powerplay. Litton played an ill-advised shot – shuffling way outside off stump and then trying to flick to leg – to be caught behind in the first over. Soumya Sarkar skied Binura Fernando in the fourth over after making 12, before Mathews had Towhid Hridoy caught behind for 8. The in-form Hridoy had struck a superb six off his first ball but lasted only four balls more.
Mahmudullah leads recovery
Mahmudullah also started his innings with a six but unlike Hridoy, he kept up the pressure on the Sri Lanka bowlers. He cracked Mathews over extra cover first ball before slamming Dasun Shanaka in the seventh over to bring up Bangladesh’s fifty. Mahmudullah lost captain Najmul Hossain Shanto along the way, but found newcomer Jaker willing to rotate the strike.
After Samarawickrama dropped Mahmudullah on 27, the veteran struck Matheesha Pathirana to the second tier of the eastern gallery. It turned out to be an 11-ball over from Pathirana who bowled big wides and a couple of no-balls. It went for 20 runs as Jaker struck his first six of the night too.
Jaker takes over from Mahmudullah
Avishka Fernando took a good catch at the long-on boundary to end Mahmudullah’s innings on 54 off 31 balls. That looked like the end of Bangladesh’s chase but Jaker chose this moment to hit a higher gear.
In the same over as the wicket, he struck Maheesh Theekshana for a six over square leg before hammering Shanaka for two sixes to the leg side in the next over. He hit two more sixes in the next two overs, off Theekshana and Pathirana. The latter’s was another 11-ball over, which went for 19, as he struggled substantially with cramp. This over was so wayward wicketkeeper Kusal was even seen standing almost at second slip to receive the ball, as Pathirana attempted to send down wide yorkers.
Jaker reached his maiden T20I fifty off 25 balls with a blast through the covers to end Pathirana’s over. Mahedi Hasan timed two fours off Binura Fernando, both through wide third in the 18th over, but he fell trying to hoick the same bowler. The sixth-wicket pair had added 65 runs in 4.3 overs but Mahedi left with Bangladesh still needing 27 off the last 2.1.
Jaker takes it deep, and almost finishes it off
Pathirana continued to be wayward in his last over, the penultimate of the innings. He conceded 15 runs including three fours, and bowled another no-ball. Jaker struck him through midwicket, fine leg and extra cover to leave Bangladesh needing 12 off the last over. It seemed then they might pull off an amazing heist, but it was not to be.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
