Asia cup 2023 in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka recorded a 21runs victory in the second match of the Super Four round between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the 2023 Asia Cup cricket tournament held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today.
After winning the toss, the Bangladesh captain invited the Sri Lankan team to bat. At the end of the allotted fifty overs, the Sri Lankan team scored 257 runs by losing 9 wickets.
Kusal Mendis scored 50 runs in 73 balls and that innings included six fours and one six. Apart from this, the opening batsman Pathum Nissanka also contributed to Sri Lanka’s innings with 40 valuable runs. Dimuth Karunaratne, who came to bat as the opening batsman along with Pathum, was dismissed for 18.
After a valuable 74-run partnership with Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka was unfortunately dismissed for 40 runs. Sadeera Samarawickera, who joined with Kusal Mendis, was gradually building the Sri Lankan innings, but Kusal Mendis was dismissed in the 26th over as the third wicket.
None of the Sri Lankan batsmen who came after that managed to score well. Sadeera Samarawickrama stood at the stumps protecting one end and only got help from captain Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka scored 24 runs. Shanaka still did not score well in this tournament.
However, Samarawickrama stayed at the stumps until the last over and caught by the substitute fielder Afif Hussain. Samarawickrama scored 93 runs in just only 72 balls. Samarawickrama’s valuable innings included eight fours and one six.
Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmood took 3 wickets each while Shoriful Islam took two wickets for the Bangladesh team.
Bangladesh opening batsmen Mohammad Naeem and Mehidi Hasan Miraz, who came to the field to play the reply innings, built a precious 50-run partnership for the first wicket. But apart from Tawfiq Hridoy‘s 82 runs, no Bangladesh batsman was very successful. Hridoy somehow tried to lead his team to the victory of the match but was dismissed lbw to Mahish Thiekshana as the 7th wicket .
But in the last 2 overs of the match, the last two batsmen of the Bangladesh team, who started to accumulate runs, unexpectedly tried to turn the match to their way. But they could get only 236 runs and lost the game.
Thus, the Sri Lankan team recorded a comfortable victory of 21 runs in the first Super 4 round match they faced.
While bowling for the Sri Lankan team, Matheesha Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana and captain Dasun Shanaka took 3 wickets each. It is a special fact that Sri Lanka captain Dasun, who has been failing with batting continuously, bowled 9 overs as a bowler in today’s match.
On other days, Shanaka bowls only when necessary, but only one or two overs. But in today’s match he got 3 wickets. It should be kept in mind that Dasun Shanaka plays in the team not only as the captain. He is an all-rounder. Therefore, his true talent should be given to the team to the maximum extent.
