CF Correspondent

Standing on the brink of being whitewashed, an out-of-sort and jaded Bangladesh turned up yet again as they let Sri Lanka to take the early strangle by compiling a respectable 294-8 in the third and final ODI at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.

Angelo Mathews led the charge, hitting a 90 ball-87 after surviving twice on 32 and 63.

In addition of shelling his catch twice, Bangladesh put down five catches in total and came up with a  shoddy ground fielding allowing Sri Lanka to score some easy singles and doubles.

Kusal Menids scored 54 while skipper Dimuth Karunaratne made 46. Kusal Perera chipped-in-with 42.

Bangladesh started well after being sent to bowl first as pace bowler Shafiul Islam gave the side early breakthrough, dismissing big-hitter Avishka Fernando for 6.

Karunaratne and Perera shared 83-run for the second wicket before Bangladesh hit back with bang, removing both of the two set batsmen in consecutive overs, leaving Sri Lanka 98-3.

As Bangladesh sensed to take a stranglehold, Mathews and Mendis frustrated them with 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which laid a solid platform of big total.

Occasional bowler Soumya Sarkar broke the steady partnership with the wicket of Mendis who struck five fours and one six in his 54 off58.

Mathews however took the charge and brought up his 40th fifty and third in his fourth match steering Rubel Hossain for boundary past third man region.

He then became more aggressive and accelerated the innings in emphatic fashion to leave Bangladesh bowlers disarray. Before Soumya Sarka got the better of him in the first ball of the last over, he blasted 87 off 90 with eight fours and one six.

Soumya then took out Akila Danajaya to stand on hat-trick but Wanindu Hasaranga deprived him.