Sri Lanka had no answer to Najmul Hossain Shanto’s career-best unbeaten 122 which powered Bangladesh to a six-wicket win in the first ODI in Chattogram. The home side won with 32 balls to spare despite losing three early wickets, as Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim added 165 runs for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand.
Mushfiqur gave Shanto good support scoring his 49th half-century, allowing the Bangladesh captain to dominate Sri Lanka. The pair at one stage went through 60 deliveries without hitting a boundary but that didn’t keep them from being ahead of the required rate.
Shanto struck the bulk of his boundaries in front of the wicket, with his best shot, a scorcher through the covers, helping him reach his second ODI century. He also hit the winning runs, lofting Maheesh Theekshana over the cover region.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s trio of Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam and Taksin Ahmed grabbed three wickets each, making it only the second time that Bangladesh fast bowlers have taken nine or more wickets in a home ODI. That Sri Lanka reached 255 was down to half-centuries from Janith Liyanage and captain Kusal Mendis after they gave away a good start by their openers.
Sri Lanka, however, fought back with the new ball. Litton Das was sent back first ball as he inside-edged Dilshan Madushanka onto his stumps. Soumya Sarkar fell in Madushanka’s second over when he top-edged a simple catch straight to Theekshana at square leg. Pramod Madushan then joined the party, removing Towhid Hridoy’s off-stump with a subtle outswinger as Bangladesh slipped to 23 for 3 in the sixth over.
Immediate recovery came in the form of a Shanto-Mahmudullah fourth-wicket stand. Mahmudullah went after Madushanka in the ninth over, clubbing him through the covers twice and then brushing him through point. After Shanto top-edged Lahiru Kumara for his first six, Mahmudullah blazed Wanindu Hasaranga for his first six too, in the next over.
Mahmudullah’s fall came swiftly though. Shortly after showing signs of cramps, he miscued a hoick towards deep midwicket where Madushanka took a splendid catch with a full-length dive to his left.
At 92 for 4, Sri Lanka might have hoped for another opening, but they failed to make any further inroads with the dew also not helping them. Shanto and Mushfiqur struck six boundaries in the first seven overs of their partnership. Mushfiqur started with a sweep through square leg, before Shanto pounded Madushan down the ground and pulled him rapidly. Shanto soon reached his fifty off 51 balls
Even when Shanto and Mushfiqur did not get the boundaries going, they kept the scoreboard ticking. Mushfiqur struck the boundary that broke the shackles in the 33rd over when he reverse-swept Hasaranga before slog-sweeping him for successive fours.
Shanto brought up the hundred of the partnership with a swipe over midwicket, before Mushfiqur reached his half-century with a whip off the pads, both in the 35th over. It didn’t take Bangladesh long to romp home, getting over the line in 44.4 overs.
In the afternoon, Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando gave Sri Lanka a rousing start, adding 71 runs for the opening wicket in 9.5 overs. The pair smashed ten fours and two sixes between them in Chattogram. Nissanka drove a couple of his fours over mid-off while Fernando threaded the square off-side field superbly.
Tanzim, however, pegged Sri Lanka back. He broke through by removing both Nissanka and Fernando in consecutive overs and adding Sadeera Samarawickrama in the next over. He had Fernando and Samarawickrama caught behind, while Nissanka toe-ended an attempted pull to slip as Sri Lanka slipped from 71 for 1 to 84 for 3.
Mendis rebooted Sri Lanka’s innings with a polished fifty. He found an ally in Liyanage, who struck three fours and two sixes to top score with 67 off 69 balls. Liyanage ran out of partners when Mendis and Hasaranga fell in quick succession.
Bangladesh’s pacers hit back towards the end, particularly Taskin and Shoriful who never let the Sri Lanka batters settle. Tanzim couldn’t add to his initial burst of three wickets as he was injured for a while. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the other wicket to fall, with a beauty of an offbreak to the left-handed Charith Asalanka.
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