Anurag Kumar
Saturday’s 21-run loss to Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo dealt a significant blow to Bangladesh’s prospects of qualifying for the 2023 Asia Cup final.
Shakib Al Hasan and company failed with the bat once more as Sri Lanka recorded their 13th consecutive victory in one-day internationals. Shakib Al Hasan and company had lost by seven wickets to Pakistan in the opening match of the Super Four stage.
In response to a request to bat first, the hosts posted a respectable total of 257/9, with No. 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama scoring 93 off 72 balls. In response, the visitors batted for nearly the duration of the match before being bowled out for 236 in 48.1 overs.
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added 74 runs to Sri Lanka’s score after the loss of senior opener Dimuth Karunaratne early in its innings. Mendis scored a half-century before the defending champions lost four wickets for 56 runs after a brief collapse.
Samarawickrama, however, held the fort and pieced together a crucial 60-run partnership with captain Dasun Shanaka. The right-handed batsman, who hit eight fours and two sixes, was not out until the final delivery of the innings. Earlier in the competition, he had scored a fifty against Bangladesh.
Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud each claimed three wickets for Bangladesh, but they were also costly.
Thanks to openers Mohammad Naim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh’s pursuit got off to a good start and they were 55 without loss after 11 overs. Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim fought back with a 72-run partnership after losing four wickets for a total of 28 runs.
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Sri Lanka scored 81 runs in their final 10 overs, leaving Bangladesh with the exact equation to win. In the 44th over, however, Maheesh Theekshana took two wickets, including the crucial one of Hridoy, to set his team on the path to victory. Hridoy ended his innings with seven fours and a six, while the rest of the Bangladesh batting lineup combined for only eight fours and a six.
The off-spinner Theekshana and fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana each took three wickets, but captain Shanaka (3/28) was the most effective bowler. Early in the game, the 32-year-old all-rounder, who has labored with the bat in this tournament, produced crucial breakthroughs with the ball.
By defeating India, Bangladesh can now complete the Super Four with a maximum of two points. If they succeed, there will be two paths for them to qualify for the final: Pakistan must remain undefeated and India must defeat Sri Lanka, which would leave Pakistan with six points and the other teams with two. Or Sri Lanka could remain unbeaten and India would defeat Pakistan, giving Sri Lanka six points and the other teams two. In both scenarios, Bangladesh will obviously require a favorable net run rate.
