A superb century from captain Charith Asalanka and a devastating spell by Wanindu Hasaranga powered Sri Lanka to a 77-run victory over Bangladesh in the first One-day International at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Bangladesh looked in control for much of the day, restricting Sri Lanka to 244 after reducing the hosts to 29 for 3 early on. But their chase unraveled spectacularly as they collapsed from 100 for 1 to 105 for 8 in a stunning middle-order meltdown.
We played really well in the first 80 overs. Shanto and Tanzid played really well. The middle-order batters… we did not play well. The back-to-back wickets were a problem.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were rocked by early blows as Pathum Nissanka (0), Nishan Madushka (6), and Kamindu Mendis (0) all fell cheaply. Asalanka then rebuilt the innings with a composed 106 off 120 deliveries, sharing key partnerships with Kusal Mendis (45) and Janith Liyanage (29).
The wicket was good. We bowled really well, especially the fast bowlers — they took wickets early. Credit to Asalanka for the way he played — it was amazing.
After Kusal Mendis was trapped lbw by Tanvir Islam, Asalanka continued unfazed, reaching his fifty off 61 balls and completing his century with a flurry of clean strokes. Handy cameos from Milan Rathnayake (22) and Wanindu Hasaranga (22) pushed Sri Lanka past 240 before they were bowled out in the 50th over.
In reply, Bangladesh looked well on track at 100 for 1 thanks to Tanzid Hasan’s fluent 62 and a 71-run stand with Najmul Hossain Shanto (23). But once Litton Das edged behind at 101, the innings fell apart in remarkable fashion.
Hasan struck again immediately, removing Tanzid. The middle order crumbled under pressure, with Mehidy, Towhid Hridoy, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib all dismissed in quick succession. By the 21st over, Bangladesh had slumped to 105 for 8.
Jaker Ali resisted briefly with a fighting 51 but it was too late to rescue the chase. “It was a difficult time when I walked in,” Asalanka admitted about his own innings. “I was trying to do my basics right first. I got a good start and wanted to play according to the situation. A little disappointed about not cashing in with the bat towards the end.”
Hasaranga finished with a superb 4 for 10, while Kamindu Mendis claimed 3 for 19 to seal the win.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 244 all out in 49.2 overs (Charith Asalanka 106, Kusal Mendis 45; Taskin Ahmed 4-47, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 3-45) beat Bangladesh 167 all out in 35.5 overs (Tanzid Hasan 62, Jaker Ali 51; Wanindu Hasaranga 4-10, Kamindu Mendis 3-19) by 77 runs.
