Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh Played on 1 September 2022
Sri Lanka 184/8 in 19.2 Overs (Kushal Mendis 60, asun Shanaka 45, Pithun Nishanka 20, Ebadat Hossain 3/51, Taskin 2/24)
Bangladesh 183/7 (Afif Hossain 39, Mehedi Hasan Miraj 38, Mahmudullah Riad 27, Shakib Al Hasan 24, Mosaddek Hossain 24, Dhamika Karunaratne 2/32, Wanindu Hasharanga 2/41)
Sri Lanka won by 2 Wicket
Losing both the matches in the group of death Bangladesh returns home empty handed. Not that any admirer in the wildest of imagination thought of winning Asia Cup 2022 by a dilapidated Bangladesh team.
But there was nothing wrong in dreaming for a place in the business round. That dream was put paid yesterday at Dubai International stadium with Bangladesh losing against Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in the do or die match.
A team must curse itself losing as many as four opportunities of getting the top scorer of the Kushal Mendis out. Even school girls of Australia would not have let those opportunities slip. In a tight match a team can not afford such luxuries. Bangladesh with a changed team did well posting a challenging 183/7 in allotted overs. Resolute Lankans never losing sight edged out Bangladesh overhauling the target (184/8). It will be Sri Lanka joing Afghanistan in the round of four alongside possibly India and Pakistan. Bangladesh completed yet another winless international mission.
Bangladesh in a desperate move for regrouping dropped both the openers and appearing with Shabbir and Meraj did not do all that bad. Shabbir returned early but Miraj (38) playing some scintillating strokes kept Bangladesh innings moving. Afif (39), Mahmudullah (27), Shakib (24), Mosadeek (24) all contributed. But none could extend their innings longer for reaching an unassailable target for the Sri Lankan batters. Yet 183/7 was not too bad a score to defend.
Bangladesh looked generous as ever in the field. Striking deadly blows Ebadat rightly included in the match kept Bangladesh in the hunt. But Kushal Mendis (60) was given 4 let offs. Bangladesh bowled wide and no balls. Shakib had several options for bowling. Yet he stuck to business as usual and paid the penalty of losing the match by two wickets. Bangladesh got knocked out from the tournament.
Admirers had lot of reasons to get despaired. Few may think Bangladesh had opportunities in both the matches. But in the end, none remembers losers. Bangladesh did not deserve winning with clueless team management. Hope talk shops will learn lessons and get much better prepared with a better team for the World Cup.
BDST: 1020 HRS, SEP 02, 2022
MN
