Bangladesh suffer defeat against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup
Kusal Mendis watches Najmul Hossain Shanto get knocked over for 89
|| CF DESK ||
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Injury-hit Sri Lanka down Bangladesh by five wickets in their opening game of Asia Cup at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on Thursday.
Bangladesh pacers gave Tigers a perfect start to defend a small target of 165 runs but the hosts sailed to the victory conveniently.
Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam handed the Tigers early breakthrough, dismissing both Sri Lanka openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka, within the first four overs of the session.
Taskin castled Karunaratne for one run in the third over, while Shoriful nicked off Nissanka after scoring a 13-ball 14 that included a solitary boundary.
After losing both openers Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama were trying to make a partnership but captain Shakib al Hasan did not let them to do that as Mendis returned in the last over of the power play.
Mendis beat by Shakib from a turning delivery pitched outside off-stump and went in the gap between the bat-pad and the ball hits the stumps.
The wicket-keeper batter returned with just 5 runs off 21 balls and 1 four and left Sri Lanka for 44-3 after power play.
Samarawickrama, who help to build a match winning partnership with Charith Asalanka of 78 runs, was victim of Mushfiqur Rahim's 100th international stumping after scoring 54 off 77 balls. Mahedi Hasan scalped the wicket.
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Shakib soon sent back Dhananjaya de Silva, but the left-handed Asalanka pulled the team home in 39 overs with a winning boundary.
Asalanka reached his 50 in 85 balls to play a patient knock on a pitch where run-scoring did not seem easy. Skipper Dasun Shanaka stood unbeaten on 14.
Earlier, Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana shared six wickets between them to bowl out Bangladesh for 164.
Najmul Hossain Shanto made 89 to play a lone hand in Pallekele after Bangladesh elected to bat first in the Sri Lanka leg of the 50-over tournament, a precursor to October's ODI World Cup in India.
Pathirana, whose yorkers have earned him comparisons to his hero Lasith Malinga, took 4-32 to dismiss Bangladesh in 42.4 overs.
He got skipper Shakib caught behind for five with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis taking a diving catch to his left, and sent back Mushfiqur for 13.
Later he returned to wipe off the tail after Theekshana bowled Shanto with his mystery spin to end the left-hander's 122-ball knock.
Shanto, who bats at number three, stood calm after Bangladesh lost their openers and put on key partnerships including a 59-run fourth-wicket stand with Towhid Hridoy, who was next best with 20.
He registered his fourth ODI half-century and hit seven boundaries but the rest of the batting fell flat.
Theekshana struck first when he trapped debutant Tanzid Hasan lbw for nought while Dhananjaya de Silva soon sent back fellow opener Mohammad Naim for 16.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz's run-out only added to Bangladesh's woes, after a mix-up with Shanto.
Bangladesh will next play Afghanistan in Lahore on Sunday to stay alive in the tournament.
