Najmul Hossain Shanto (90) and Shakib Al Hasan (82), fell short of centuries but helped Bangladesh secure their second win in the ICC World Cup 2023, defeating Sri Lanka by three wickets with 53 balls remaining. Their partnership of 169 runs for the third wicket saw Bangladesh get to 282/7 in 41.1 overs. Earlier, Bangladesh had dismissed the Lankans for 279 in 49.3 overs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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This win pushed Bangladesh to seventh in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings with four points. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka remained in eighth place with four points from eight matches. Chasing 280, Bangladesh lost openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das early during the Powerplay to Madushanka’s impressive new-ball spells.
However, the team quickly recovered, with Shakib Al Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto building a strong partnership. They maintained the required run rate, as the pitch eased for the batters thanks to the dew. Despite a minor setback when Angelo Mathews dismissed Shakib with a well-placed cutter and later forced Shanto’s inside edge, Bangladesh remained within fifty runs of victory.
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Madushanka and Maheesh Theekshana subsequently removed Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah in quick succession. Although Mehidy Hasan Miraz fell when Bangladesh needed just 11 runs, they secured the win with plenty of balls to spare, marking their first-ever victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup 2023.
Earlier, Bangladesh chose to field first and made an early breakthrough. Mushfiqur Rahim executed a sensational catch to dismiss Kusal Perera in the very first over. Shakib soon claimed the wicket of Kusal Mendis, who had a slow start and played an uncharacteristic stroke straight to mid-on. Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews delayed entering the field after his helmet strap broke. Then, an appeal by Bangladesh led to him being timed out as per the Cricket World Cup rules.
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Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva came together, with de Silva being dismissed for 34 after being stumped out despite wicketkeeper Rahim removing the bails with his gloves first. Asalanka went on to reach a fine century, aided by Maheesh Theekshana. However, Sri Lanka struggled to finish strongly as Bangladesh continued to take wickets. They managed to score just 56 runs in the last 57 balls of their innings, finishing on 279.
