Media calls Sri Lanka ‘flop of Asia’

Thanks to a brilliant bowling display and an explosive knock from Towhid Hridoy, Bangladesh got off to a winning start in the ongoing T20 World Cup as the Tigers beat Sri Lanka by two wickets in their Group D encounter at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

After Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman claimed three wickets each to restrict Sri Lanka to 124 for nine, Hridoy smashed a 20-ball 40 and Liton Das played a sensible 38-ball 36-run knock to see Bangladesh over the line in 19 overs. 

However, things got a bit nervy at the end as Bangladesh lost four wickets for just 14 runs, slumping from 99 for four to 113 for eight in 17.4 overs. Pacer Matheesha Pathirana had Shakib Al Hasan caught at third man before Nuwan Thushara got rid of Rishad Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in successive deliveries in the 18th over. 

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Bangladesh did manage to survive and got within just five runs of the target when Mahmudullah Riyad smashed Dasun Shanaka for a maximum in the first ball of the penultimate over. The Tigers got over the line when Mahmudullah ran hard for a double in the final delivery of the 19th over as Bangladesh beat a Test-playing nation for the first time since their six-wicket win over the West Indies in their first-ever T20 World Cup game in 2007. 

Bangladesh also stuttered at the beginning of the chase today, losing both the openers -- Soumya Sarkar (0 off 2) and Tanzid Tamim (3 off 6) -- in the first two overs. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto also extended his lean patch as he could only manage seven off 13 deliveries before being dismissed off a Nuwan Thushara delivery to see Bangladesh in a spot of bother at three for 28 after 5.2 overs.   

It was Hridoy and Liton who helped Bangladesh recover from the early slump, stitching together a quickfire 63-run fourth-wicket stand. Hridoy was looking unstoppable, with the right-hander smoking Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga for three successive sixes -- two in the midwicket region and one over cover -- in the 12th over. However, Hridoy was trapped in front in the very next delivery as he failed in his attempt to sweep Hasaranga. 

Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers did a magnificent job to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total following their flying start which saw them score 53 for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay. Pacers Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur, and young leggie Rishad got wickets at crucial junctures as Sri Lanka could only score 24 runs in the final six overs. 

Rishad returned figures of three for 22 and Taskin ended with two for 25 in his four overs. Mustafizur was the most economical of all, giving away just 17 in his four overs.

Hridoy departs after smashing 40 off 20

Towhid Hridoy's explosive innings of 40 off just 20 deliveries helped Bangladesh recover from a slump and get them closer to victory in their T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

Hridoy was looking unstoppable, with the right-hander smoking Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga for three successive sixes -- two in the midwicket region and one over cover -- in the 12th over. However, Hridoy was trapped in front in the very next delivery as he failed in his attempt to sweep Hasaranga. 

Bangladesh were reduced to three for 28 after 5.2 overs, but it was Hridoy and Liton Das who stitched a quickfire 63-run fourth-wicket stand to help Bangladesh get back into the game in stunning fashion.   

Tigers lose openers, skipper early

Bangladesh's top-order struggles continued as the Tigers lost both the openers and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto inside the Powerplay of their T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Dhananjaya de Silva removed Soumya Sarkar for a two-ball duck in just the third ball of the innings before Nuwan Thushara rattled the stumps of Tanzid Tamim in the next over to leave Bangladesh in a spot of bother at two for six after 1.4 overs.  

Bangladesh skipper Shanto failed to snap out of his recent poor run of form as he was the next to fall when he drove a Thushara delivery straight into the hands of Charith Asalanka, who did a good job holding onto the low catch. Shanto departed after a 13-ball 7, leaving Bangladesh desperately in need of a partnership in their chase of a mediocre 125-run target.

Rishad, Fizz star as Tigers bounce back to restrict Sri Lanka to 124

Young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and ace left-arm paceman Mustafizur Rahman shone with the ball in hand as Bangladesh bowlers did a tremendous job to restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total of 124 for nine following their flying start in a T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Rishad removed Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga in successive deliveries in the 15th over, helping the Tigers assume control of the innings. Rishad got another big fish in Dhananjaya de Silva in the very first ball of his next over as he drew the right-handed batter forward to have him stumped.    

The 21-year-old Rishad, playing his first-ever World Cup game, ended with impressive figures of three for 22 in four overs. 

Taskin, who was also impressive with the ball, made Dasun Shanaka his second victim of the day when he had the batter edge one back to the keeper in the final delivery of the 18th over. Taskin also claimed the wicket of Kusal Mendis earlier and finished with figures of two for 25 in four overs. 

Mustafizur Rahman finished things off nicely, giving just three and also taking the wicket of Maheesh Theekshana in the penultimate over. He was also the most economical, giving away just 17 in his four overs while claiming a total of three wickets as Sri Lanka managed to score just 24 runs in the last six overs.   

However, things were very different in the beginning, with Sri Lanka making 53 for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay. Nissanka looked the most dangerous, smashing seven fours and a six during his 28-ball 47 which is also the team-high for the Lankans in this game. 

Rishad gets two in two as Tigers bounce back

Bangladesh bowlers managed to take quick wickets and stem the flow of runs following a blistering start by Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup game at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Sri Lanka scored 109 for five after 16 overs.

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain removed Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga in successive deliveries in the 15th over as the Tigers made amends for giving plenty in boundaries in the first 10 overs. While Asalanka was caught at backward square leg as he tried to slog sweep, Sri Lanka skipper Hasaranga was outdone by a brilliant delivery from Rishad, who induced an edge of the batter's willow to have him caught at slip.  

Before that, Mustafizur Rahman removed a dangerous-looking Pathum Nissanka in the ninth over -- caught at cover after the batter mistimed and skied a slower -- and since then the Lankans struggled to score as rapidly as they had done in the beginning.  

Sri Lanka off to flying start despite losing two wickets in Powerplay

Sri Lanka lost two wickets but managed to rack up the runs in the Powerplay as they raced to 53 after six overs in their T20 World Cup game against Bangladesh at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today.

Mustafizur Rahman had Kamindu Mendis chip one straight to Tanzim Hasan Sakib at mid-off in the very first ball of the final over of the Powerplay while pacer Taskin Ahmed had given the Tigers their first breakthrough with the wicket of Kusal Mendis in the third over. 

However, the wickets did very little to stem the flow of runs, with Sri Lankan batters already hitting a total of nine fours and one maximum. Pathum Nissanka, in particular, has been in exquisite touch, smoking Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for four boundaries in the fifth over. Nissanka remains unbeaten on 34 off 18 deliveries. 

Taskin removes Mendis to give Tigers early breakthrough

Pacer Taskin Ahmed gave Bangladesh an early breakthrough in their opening T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas today. 

Having been struck for boundaries in his first two deliveries, Taskin had Sri Lanka opener Kusal Mendis chop one onto his stumps in the very next ball of the third over. Taskin, however, remained expensive as he was hit for another boundary, giving away 12 in his first over. 

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, raced to 25 runs in three overs, with the Lankans' top-order batters not sparing any loose deliveries on top of playing some exquisite shots. 

Photo: X

Bangladesh opt to bowl against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bowl as the Tigers open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Dallas today.

"We would like to bowl first as we expect some seam and swing early on," Shanto said following the toss. 

Bangladesh are going with three seamers -- Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib -- with leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan the two frontline spinners for the game. Despite being off-colour in white-ball formats for a while, Liton Das gets a nod as he forms the top-order also featuring openers Tanzid Tamim and Soumya Sarkar. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka made one change from their opening game, with Dhananjaya de Silva coming in for Sadeera Samarawickrama.

Having featured in all the editions of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh will be hoping to re-write their records in the ninth edition of the mega event this time around as the Tigers have never progressed beyond the group stage of the tournament. 

The omens, however, have not been inspiring for Bangladesh in their build-up to the tournament. They won a series against Zimbabwe at home but played very poor cricket in that 4-1 victory. Then they suffered a humiliating 2-1 series defeat against associates and co-hosts USA just before the World Cup. 

With a misfiring top order and an overall inconsistent batting line-up, Bangladesh will have their work cut out against the Lankans. This game, however, remains a crucial one for the Tigers as a victory today would go a long way in helping them progress from a group that also includes South Africa, Nepal, and the Netherlands. 

Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 77 and suffered a six-wicket defeat in their first group game against South Africa in New York. The Lankans will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways and better their current net run rate of -1.048.

Playing XIs:

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana
 

The morning of September 29 must have broken with some harsh light for the Bangladesh cricketers in Dubai and their loyal fans back home. It was much the same on March 23, 2012, when the Asia Cup final against Pakistan was lost in the final ball in Mirpur the night before. But as time wore on in 2012, the pain of defeat gave way to a feeling of accomplishment born from the feeling that Bangladesh cricket had finally broken through and had defeated all but one of their more celebrated neighbours before falling at the final hurdle.

On Friday night, the pain of failure at the final hurdle in the final ball -- this time against India -- haunted the cricketers and cricket lovers once again. Like 2012, this pain too shall pass but there will be a different sense of accomplishment from Asia Cup 2018.

Defeating Sri Lanka in the opener, then Afghanistan and Pakistan in must-win games may sound par for the course for the team fans have come to know since 2012. However, winning two of those matches without talismanic opener Tamim Iqbal and the one against Pakistan without both Tamim and ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is not something that would have been expected. Making the final in the kind of heat they had never experienced before and doing it with setbacks that would have crippled Bangladesh sides of the past marks a new level.

To accomplish that, young players who were part of the support cast -- Liton Das and Mohammad Mithun -- and those who were leaders in waiting but often seemed to need a helping hand -- Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan Miraz -- came to the fore. That, and the tremendous fighting spirit shown by the Tigers throughout the two-week long event -- not least in taking India's chase of 222 down to the final ball on Friday -- will be Bangladesh's biggest takeaway.

"Everyone may think about the 2012 Asia Cup final, but I see it a little differently," Bangladesh opener Tamim had said on September 13, two days before the tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Dubai. "The 2012 Asia Cup was the tournament where we first got the belief that we could beat any team -- that we could be competitive.

"I remember that; not my four fifties or how we lost the final by two runs. I remember how we played as a team and beat teams that no one would have thought we could beat. We beat India and Sri Lanka, and lost two very competitive matches against Pakistan."

Little did Tamim know then that it was his injury two days later, which forced him to fly out of the Asia Cup and back home, that would contribute to this tournament being remembered as the next big step for Bangladesh after 2012.

Since 2012, Bangladesh's graph has trended upward, with occasional dips. But a common feature of that rise has been the people doing the heavy lifting. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad have been the five cricketers who have worked wonders for Bangladesh cricket over much of the last decade.

But this Asia Cup was a departure from the norm because the Bangladesh team do not often do well with setbacks, especially when they have to fight with those setbacks against oppositions perceived to be superior. That happened in this tournament too -- losing the last group game against Afghanistan and the first Super Four match against India in abject fashion were a function of them struggling to overcome the setbacks of losing Tamim, scheduling confusions and having to play three matches in four days in 40-plus degree heat.

The recovery, and the architects of the recovery, will be the source of inspiration for future campaigns. While it is true that there was magical captaincy from Mashrafe, he still had to rely on opener Imrul Kayes to fly in on Saturday night and score a match-winning fifty against Afghanistan on Sunday from number six, rescuing the side in partnership with Mahmudullah from 87 for five. Faced with non-performing opening pairs, Mashrafe took the wildcard decision to open with number eight batsman Mehedi in the final, but the youngster still had to show the courage to be a part of a 120-run opening stand with a sublime Liton. For his part, Liton was the one who had to repay his captain's continued faith, and he did so with a maiden century in the most important game of the tournament.

Mushfiqur was Bangladesh's best batsman in the tournament with scores of 144 in the opening game and 99 against Pakistan. In both those innings, however, Mithun was an indispensable foil with innings of 63 and 60 in century-plus partnerships that rescued Bangladesh from top-order collapses. 

In each of Bangladesh's three wins in the tournament, someone other than the Big Five stepped up and took responsibility. The bowlers, led by Mashrafe, Mustafizur and Mehedi, were consistent throughout and the spirited fielding was the flag-bearer of the team's never-say-die spirit.

 "The positives depend on the individuals. I think losing to India twice was something that I didn't desire. When Shakib and Tamim are back, the team will do well in the future if we can hold on to this spirit," Mashrafe said after the match.

There will certainly be heartbroken fans who will rue another missed opportunity, another last-ball failure. But this tournament showed that the ingredients long craved for outside the Big Five are very much present and the work in progress is waiting for completion with the return of the two big stalwarts.

The takeaway from this latest heartbreak is that it will just be a matter of time before bittersweet gives way to unadulterated joy.

Bangladesh lost the second semifinal of the Hong Kong International Sixes by three wickets against Sri Lanka at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok on Sunday.  

Batting first, Bangladesh managed to post 103 for five in six overs, courtesy of an 11-ball 36 laced with five sixes and a four from opener Jishan Alam. Mohammad Saifuddin struggled as he managed a 12-ball 23, the second-highest score. 

Ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake scalped four wickets for Sri Lanka. 

In reply, Sri Lanka opener Sandun Weerakkody smacked three sixes and seven fours for his 16-ball 50 and Dhananjaya Lakshan smashed four sixes for unbeaten six-ball 24 as the Lankans chased down the target with one ball to spare. 

Sri Lanka won the tournament by beating Pakistan by three wickets in the final later in the day.

Bangladesh evaded a sixth successive under-200 total in Tests as they ended the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Tuesday at 268 for seven. It was the Tigers' first 200-plus total in four attempts in the ongoing two-match series against the Lankans as they got bundled out for 188 and 182 in the first Test in Sylhet and were skittled out for 178 in the first innings of the match in progress. The abysmal batting has continued for the Tigers who can't seem to get out of their rut. The last time they scored over 200 was in 2023 November in the first of the two-match Test series against New Zealand in Sylhet. The hosts are on the brink of another big-margin loss as they would need nothing short of a miracle to escape defeat against the Lankans who set a daunting 511-run target. Photos: Firoz Ahmed