By depending on Sadeera Samarawickrama’s shoulder, Sri Lanka registered one of the finest nail-biting matches of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh. Having lost the game, Bangladesh is struggling with two consecutive defeats on their back. Sri Lanka bowled Bangladesh out for 236 with Towhid Hriday being the highest scorer for the visitors with 82 runs. Srilanka’s skipper Dasun Shanaka claimed three wickets by giving only 28 runs. Apart from the skipper young gun Matheesa Pathirana took three wickets.
Sadeera Samawickrama turns hero for Sri Lanka in time of need
Sri Lanka’s dominating performance saw them beating the Tigers by 21 runs and kept them struggling in the tournament. Even after losing the toss and being put into bat first against their will, Sri Lanka managed to put on a target of 258 runs in front of Shakib al Hasan and his men. But Sadeera Samarawickrama was the hero of Sri Lanka’s side. He played an electrifying innings of 93 in 72 balls. It contained 8 fours and 2 six with a strike rate of 129 runs.
After Karunaratne’s early departure, Sri Lanka were under pressure. However, Nissanka and Mendis added 74 runs for the second-wicket partnership. Mendis also scored a half-century in the innings. Since Samawickrama came to the crease it was his intention to bring Sri Lanka out from the pressure. The right-handed batter made a crucial 60-run partnership with the skipper.
Bangladesh lose despite early momentum
Even though Bangladesh made an impressive start it didn’t last long. They took early three wickets and put Sri Lanka under pressure. In their last 10 overs, they put only 44 runs in the scoreboard. though Bangladesh still has opportunities to be in the tournament it will be very tactical. Winning was not so smooth for Srilanka but at the end of the day they sealed the win. But Samarawickrama’s 93 was the star of the show. It was the main fuel of Sri Lanka’s win.
Sadeera Samarawickrama was named as the Player of the match. In the ceremony, the 28-year-old right-hander said, “When I saw the pitch, we talked about how this was not a 320 pitch, it’s a 250 pitch. Even that you just have to get in the last eight over or so. If we had gone too hard early, we might have been out for 220”. Now with this win Sri Lanka becomes the 2nd team with the 13 ODI wins right behind Australia.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
