Sri Lanka qualified for the super 4 round of the Asia Cup after a thrilling 2-wicket win over Bangladesh in the final match of group B at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Sri Lanka held their nerves in chasing the target of 184 in 19.2 overs with the help of opener Kushal Mendis (60 off 37 balls; 4 fours, 3 sixes) and skipper Dasun Shanaka (45 off 33 balls; 3 fours, 2 sixes) as both players did not let the pressure get the better of them. Earlier, Bangladesh managed to post a total of 183 for seven. Afif Hossain (39 off 22 balls) and Mehidy Hasan (38 off 26 balls) scored the highest from the Bangladesh side, while Ebadat Hossain picked 3 wickets for the team.
Sri Lanka won and sent Bangladesh to bat. Bangladesh scored 183 for seven in 20 overs. Opener Mehidy Hasan scored 38 of 26 balls, middle order batter Afif Hossain hit 39 off 22 balls. In the respective batting order, captain Shakib Al Hasan 24 off 22 balls, Mahmudullah scored 27 off 22 balls took Bangladesh to a big scored of 183 at the end of the innings. Sri Lanka’s bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne picked two wickets each.
While chasing the winning target 184, Sri Lanka’s start was slow as they lost four wickets at 77 scores in the 9 overs. In the meanwhile, Sri Lankan team were losing hope, But the opener batter Kushal Mendis was still on the crease and he turned the game into his team side as he smashed a brilliant half-century (60 off 37 balls) including 4 fours and 3 sixes with the strike rate of 162.16. playing with skipper Dasun Shanaka (45 off 33 balls), Mendis did not let the pressure get and took Sri Lanka into a winning position.
Finally, the remaining Sri Lankan bowler cum batter overhauled the winning target (184) with four balls to spare. Asitha Fernando hit 2 fours at the end of the game and scored 10 off 3 balls. Ebadot Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh with figures of 3/51.
Mendis bagged the man of the match award for his fantastic knock of 60 (37).
Brief Score Board (Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh):
Bangladesh- 183/7 in 20 ov
Sri Lanka- 184/8 in 19.2 ov(won the match by 2 wickets)
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