Pathirana Helps Sri Lanka Win Over Bangladesh

September 1, 2023

0 3 minutes read

In the 2023 Asia Cup match, the young and swift bowler Matheesha Pathirana performed exceptionally well, taking 4 wickets for 32 runs. Despite Sri Lanka facing injuries, he played a key role in their comfortable victory by five wickets against Bangladesh on Thursday.

Pathirana consistently posed a tough challenge to the batsmen with his tricky speed, while spinners Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage restricted the flow of runs during the middle phase of the game. As a result, Bangladesh’s batting lineup struggled and they were dismissed for a total of 164 runs in 42.4 overs.

Charith Asalanka remained unbeaten at 62 runs, and Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 54 runs, both achieving half-centuries. They guided Sri Lanka to a total of 168-5 with 11 overs to spare. This was accomplished even though Sri Lanka’s top-order struggled against the pace of Bangladesh and the left-arm spin of captain Shakib Al Hasan, who managed to take 2 wickets for 29 runs.

Sri Lanka faced a setback as they reached a score of 43 for the loss of 3 wickets in the initial 10 overs. During this period, fast bowler Taskin Ahmed dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne with a well-executed delivery, and Kusal Mendis lost his wicket as Shakib Al Hasan bowled a straight delivery that hit the stumps.

However, Asalanka and Samarawickrama managed to revive the pursuit by building a partnership of 78 runs. Later, Mahedi Hasan got the better of Samarawickrama, dismissing him through a delivery that spun away from the right-handed batsman, leading to a stumping. Subsequently, Al Hasan delivered a full-pitched ball that disturbed Dhananjaya de Silva’s stumps. Nevertheless, Asalanka guided Sri Lanka to victory with a good number of overs left to spare.

Sri Lanka’s lesser-experienced bowlers put on an impressive performance, especially considering the injuries that sidelined several mainline bowlers, including their standout legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, in the lead-up to the tournament.

Shakib Al Hasan’s choice to bat first in cloudy conditions didn’t yield positive results. Offspinner Maheesh Theekshana made an impact immediately, dismissing Tanzid Hasan with a leg before wicket decision on only his second delivery. This prompted Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka to introduce spinners into the attack within the initial 10 overs, despite the prevailing overcast weather conditions.

De Silva managed to catch Mohammad Naim (16) at point with a leading edge, while Pathirana’s speed proved too much for Al Hasan (5), resulting in a low catch that was taken by wicketkeeper Pathum Nissanka. This sequence led to Bangladesh’s score falling to 36 for the loss of 3 wickets by the 11th over.

Najmul Hossain Shanto achieved the highest score with 89 runs from 122 balls, but he didn’t appear to pose a significant challenge to the combination of pace and spin on a challenging pitch. Shanto collaborated with Towhid Hridoy for a 59-run partnership for the fourth wicket, with Hridoy contributing 20 runs. In the 24th over, Shanaka successfully used a television referral for an lbw decision against Hridoy, thus ending their partnership.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the most experienced player for Bangladesh, managed to score 13 runs before falling victim to Pathirana’s bowling during his second spell. He couldn’t execute his uppercut shot effectively and was caught by the third man fielder. Pathirana then swiftly dismissed the lower-order batsmen, securing two more wickets as Bangladesh struggled to reach a subpar total.

In Group B, Afghanistan is the other team, and the top two teams will advance to the Super 4 stage. In Group A, Pakistan handed newcomer Nepal a resounding 238-run defeat in the tournament’s opening game on Wednesday. Pakistan’s next group match will be against their archrival India on Saturday.

The Asia Cup is being co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as India declined to travel to Pakistan due to political tensions between the two countries. Pakistan will host four matches, while Sri Lanka will host nine, including the final on September 17th.

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September 1, 2023

0 3 minutes read

Pathirana Helps Sri Lanka Win Over Bangladesh