Opener Kusal Mendis produced a commanding 73 to guide Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the opening T20I at Pallekele on Thursday. Mendis, who had struck a century in the final ODI of the preceding series, continued his rich vein of form to help the hosts chase down 155 with an over to spare.
Batting first on a slow pitch offering some turn, Bangladesh could only post 154/5 despite promising starts from Parvez Hossain Emon (38), Mohammad Naim (32*), and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29).
The wicket looked pretty good, but a couple of balls kept low. We’re very disappointed. Whoever batted well needed to keep going. I thought it was a pretty good wicket to defend, and we have a good bowling side. But we didn’t bowl well, and any cricketer can have that bad day.
He singled out leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for praise: “He bowled really well. On this kind of wicket, if you hit the right areas, it’s hard for batters to adjust.”
In reply, Mendis set the tone early with a blistering opening stand of 78 alongside Pathum Nissanka, who smashed 42 off just 16 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Their onslaught propelled Sri Lanka to 83 runs in the Powerplay — a new national record in T20Is, surpassing their previous best of 75 against India in 2019.
“I played my natural game early on, but as the ball got older it started sticking in the pitch, so I slowed down a bit,” Mendis explained. “I just wanted to see the game out.”
After Nissanka’s dismissal in the fifth over, Mendis steadied the chase, adding 42 for the second wicket with Kusal Perera (24). He eventually fell for 73 off 51 balls (five fours, three sixes), but by then Sri Lanka were firmly on course.
Captain Charith Asalanka credited local knowledge and recent Lanka Premier League experience for the decision to field first. “When we were playing in the LPL, chasing teams won a lot because of the fast outfield and one shorter boundary. That’s why we decided to bowl first,” he said.
Asalanka also hailed leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who replaced the injured Wanindu Hasaranga and returned tidy figures of 1-25.
“Vandersay is usually on the bench because of Wanindu — that’s the reality,” he noted. “But he got his chance today. It’s a good headache to have in the team.”
Reflecting on the performance, Asalanka was satisfied: “Not much to improve in this game. Every department did well. I just want to keep improving our fielding.”
Sri Lanka will look to seal the series in the second T20I on July 16 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 154/5 (Emon 38, Naim 32*; Theekshana 2-37) Sri Lanka 159/3 (Mendis 73, Nissanka 42)
