Dubai, Sep 21 Saif Hasan and Towhid Hridoy struck superb half-centuries after Musttafizur Rahman and Mahedi Hasan had laid the foundation by claiming five wickets between them as Bangladesh came back strongly to beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in the opening match of the Super 4 stage of the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 here on Saturday.
Bangladesh have won only one out of their last 14 chases, but there was no stopping them as Saif Hasan struck 61 off 45 balls and Hridoy slammed 58 off 37 balls as Bangladesh reached 169/6 in 19.5 overs to avenge their six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the league stage a few days back.
It was the bowlers that opened up the opportunity for victory, though Sri Lanka rode on a brilliant counterattacking 64 not out off 38 balls by Dasun Shanaka to reach a challenging 168/7 in 20 overs. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman claimed 3-20 with some late strikes, including two in the penultimate over, while Mahedi Hasan bagged 2-25 on his return to the squad for this match.
Despite losing Tanzid Hasan for zero, Bangladesh, who opted to bowl first, nosed ahead at the end of the Power-play as they reached 59/1, marginally better than 53/1 in the first six overs.
Saif Hasan came bounding out of the blocks, hitting a few boundaries in the Power-play and got good support from skipper Litton Das as they raised 59 runs for the second wicket. Just when they were going strong and looking to take away the match, Das, who scored 23 off 16 (3x4), got out to Wanindu Hasaranga.
Saif continued to prosper at the other end as he reached his half-century off 36 balls, and with Hridoy providing good support, Bangladesh crossed the 100-run mark. Saif also fell to Hasaranga for 61 off 45 balls (2x4, 4x6).
Hridoy took the responsibility after that and reached fifty in 31 balls as Bangladesh reached 150, keeping the run rate in check. Hridoy fell to Chameera, missing a thigh-high full toss to be trapped lbw. Bangladesh stumbled a bit with five needed from the final over. After Jaker Ali struck a four on the first ball, Bangladesh lost two wickets in the next three balls before Nasum Hamed scampered a single to seal victory.
Earlier, a brilliant counter-attacking half-century by Dasun Shanaka helped Sri Lanka recover from a precarious position to reach a challenging 168/7 in 20 overs.
It was a riveting contest as Sri Lanka started at a brisk pace, but were pulled back by the loss of four quick wickets before Shanaka got into the act. The former Sri Lanka skipper stormed to his half-century off 30 balls and helped the team to set a stiff target for Bangladesh when the average total in this event has been 150.
After Pathum Nissanka (22) and Kusal Mendis (34) had raised 44 runs for the opening wicket, Sri Lanka lost their way and slumped to 97/4, with Mahedi Hasan claiming two of the wickets.
Shanaka played a brilliant counter-attacking 64 not out off 37 balls, hitting six maximums besides three boundaries as he set up Sri Lanka for a strong finish in their innings. He shared a 57-run partnership with Asalanka (21 off 12 balls) for the fifth wicket as they dominated the bowling.
Mustafizur Hasan pulled things back for Bangladesh by taking two wickets in the penultimate over for five runs, and Taksin Ahmed bowled four dot balls in the final over as Sri Lanka ended with 168 when it was looking like they could have reached 190.
In the end, those two overs proved crucial as Bangladesh won the match by four wickets.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 168/7 in 20 overs (Dasun Shanaka 64 not out; Kusal Mendis 34; Mustafizur Rahman 3-20, Mahedi Hasan 2-25) lost to Bangladesh 169/6 in 19.5 overs (Saif Hasan 61, Towhid Hridoy 58; Wanindu Hasaranga 2-22, Dasun Shanaka 2-21) by four wickets.
--IANS
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