“I’m very happy. No, I didn’t know [that Sri Lanka always win at home when I score a hundred],” Kusal Mendis smiled after collecting both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. “My batting coach said that if I score, we will win.”
That prophecy came true in emphatic fashion on Tuesday in Kandy, as Mendis’ superb 124 from 114 balls powered Sri Lanka to a commanding 99-run victory over Bangladesh and a 2-1 series win.
I played a different game in the last match. But today, I played my normal game after speaking to the coach. The pitch was a little slow, but it came on better later on.
Mendis’ sixth ODI century, punctuated by 18 boundaries, underpinned Sri Lanka’s total of 285 for 7. He shared a match-defining 124-run partnership with captain Charith Asalanka, who contributed a composed 58 off 68 balls.
Reflecting on the batting effort, Asalanka praised Mendis’ clarity. “He was very clear with his plans. He took the pressure off the rest of us.”
Bangladesh, set 286 for victory, never recovered from early blows. Skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz admitted his side failed to execute. “I think the wicket was excellent,” he said.
“We discussed playing positive cricket. If we got the chance, we wanted to bat deep, and in the last 10 overs, go harder. But I think we made mistakes. We didn’t get partnerships in the middle or from the openers. That was the problem for us.”
Bangladesh’s innings began to unravel in the third over when Tanzid Hasan fell for 17. Najmul Hossain Shanto followed three balls later without scoring. Although Towhid Hriday showed some resistance with 51 off 78 deliveries and added 43 runs alongside Mehidy (28), the rest of the line-up folded meekly.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers hunted in packs to finish the job. Asitha Fernando and Dushmantha Chameera claimed three wickets each, while Dunith Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga took two apiece to ensure Bangladesh never threatened the target.
Earlier, after losing Nishan Madushka cheaply, Mendis and Pathum Nissanka (35) began to rebuild. But it was the fourth-wicket stand between Mendis and Asalanka that swung the contest decisively. Mendis reached three figures in 95 balls, raising his bat to an appreciative Kandy crowd who have grown used to watching Sri Lanka triumph whenever he scores a hundred.
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took two wickets each, but their inability to prevent boundaries and create sustained pressure left them chasing the game.
As Mendis received his awards, he offered a simple verdict: “I just wanted to play my game, and I’m glad it worked today.”
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 285/7 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 124, Charith Asalanka 58, Pathum Nissanka 35; Taskin Ahmed 2-51, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-46) Bangladesh 186 all out in 39.4 overs (Towhid Hriday 51; Asitha Fernando 3-33, Dushmantha Chameera 3-51). Sri Lanka won by 99 runs to clinch the series 2-1.
