Following the women’s team’s failure to secure a medal, the men’s side also missed out on bronze after Sri Lanka defeated them by 63 runs at Korogo Sports Park in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday.
Bangladesh made a promising start with the ball, reducing Sri Lanka to 21 for four early in their innings. However, they failed to maintain the pressure as Sahan Arachchige and Tharindu Ratnayake led a strong recovery.
Ratnayake produced the decisive innings, smashing 65 off just 32 deliveries with seven fours and five sixes. His aggressive knock shifted the momentum firmly in Sri Lanka’s favour as they finished on 165 for nine from their 20 overs.
Bangladesh’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring in the latter stages, with Mustafizur Rahman’s 14th over proving particularly costly as Sri Lanka collected 25 runs. Bangladesh also missed a chance in the field as Sri Lanka built a challenging total.
Saif Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman and Mahedi Hasan claimed two wickets apiece for Bangladesh.
The chase quickly turned into a nightmare for Bangladesh. Saif Hasan was dismissed for a six-ball duck, followed by Tanzid Hasan, who also fell without scoring after facing two deliveries. Captain Litton Das then departed first ball, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 4-3.
Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy tried to rebuild the innings, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Emon made 22 from 26 balls, while Hridoy scored 11 off six deliveries.
Yasir Ali added 21 from 16 balls and Rishad Hossain chipped in with a quick 10 off five, but neither could provide the innings with the momentum required.
Nasum Ahmed top-scored with 26 off 28 balls, yet Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 102, falling 63 runs short of their target.
The defeat completed a disappointing Asian Games campaign for Bangladesh, with both the men’s and women’s teams returning without a medal.
