Rishad Hossain’s career-best T20I bowling effort and Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman’s outstanding bowling display helped Bangladesh restrict Sri Lanka to 124-9 in 20 overs in a crucial T20 World Cup encounter at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas.
Rishad and Mustafizur shared six wickets between them. At one stage, Sri Lanka looked set for a total somewhere around 160 but Bangladesh strangled Sri Lanka in the late middle and death overs.
Taskin was the bowler to draw first blood when he had the last laugh in a battle between him and Kusal Mendis in the second over of the match.
Mendis, who has a superb record against Bangladesh, started off with two boundaries off Taskin but the right-arm quick corrected himself quickly to clean him up off an inside edge.
Sri Lanka were still off to a flying start (53-2 in six overs) courtesy of Pathum Nissanka’s onslaught against Shakib Al Hasan. Nissanka toyed with the field in the fifth over bowled by Shakib and struck four boundaries.
But the experienced Mustafizur Rahman struck in consecutive overs to get rid of number three Kamindu Mendis and the dangerous Nissanka (47 off 28) to limit Sri Lanka to 70-3 in the ninth over.
Rishad extracted a considerable amount of turn and bounce and that coupled with Mustafizur’s variations and Taskin’s accuracy helped Bangladesh stem the run flow in the middle overs.
Rishad, on his T20 World Cup debut, got the reward of his good work with the ball as he sent back Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga in the 15th over. Sri Lanka were 100-5 then.
Sri Lanka were in further trouble when Litton Das’ sharp glovework saw Dhananjaya de Silva walk back to the pavilion. It was leg-spinner Rishad’s third wicket.
Taskin finished the spell with a superb 18th over where he banged the ball short mostly and got the wicket of Sri Lanka’s finisher Dasun Shanaka.
Mustafizur returned three for 18 bowling in all three phases of the game.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib chipped in with the wicket of Angelo Mathews in the final over.
Sri Lanka could manage only one boundary in the slog overs.
Source: The Business Standard
