Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Thursday, 1 August 2019 05:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Madushka Balasuriya
A second consecutive fifty by Angelo Mathews and a series of other cameos with bat, ball and in the field, saw Sri Lanka through to a 122 run victory over Bangladesh in the third and final ODI in Colombo yesterday, and with it a 3-0 series whitewash.
Set a target of 295 to win, Bangladesh would have had to complete the highest run chase at the R. Premadasa stadium if they were to secure victory, but a professional performance in the field by a Sri Lankan outfit that had made four changes ensured there would be no consolation for the visitors.
Out went Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, and Nuwan Pradeep, and in came Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shehan Jayasuriya, and Kasun Rajitha. By the end of the game each of the newcomers had made their mark on the match.
Dasun Shanaka was the pick of the bowlers, taking out the middle order trio of Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammed Mithun and Mahmudullah, on his way to figures of 3 for 27 in six overs, as Bangladesh were reduced to 83 for 5 inside the first 20 overs. The performance capped a fine comeback game for Shanaka, who had earlier blitzed a 14-ball 30 to help accelerate Sri Lanka’s innings in the final overs.
Bangladesh’s chase though was initially hamstrung by a devastating opening burst from Rajitha, who first took out the struggling Tamim Iqbal, getting the Bangladesh skipper to edge a delivery wide of off stump to Kusal Perera behind the stumps. It was incidentally the first time in seven innings Tamim had been dismissed in any other way than bowled.
Rajitha then struck a few overs later, as Anamul Haque skied a short one, and Avishka Fernando completed a difficult take at fine leg running all the way around from midwicket. Rajitha would finish with excellent figures of 2 for 17 in 10 overs.
With half the batting line-up back in the dressing room, the pair of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman attempted to consolidate, but having scraped together 22 runs over nine overs their budding partnership was soon undone by an outstanding bit of fielding. Substitute fielder Dhananjaya De Silva was lying in wait at midwicket as Sabbir creamed one towards him off Lahiru Kumara; Dhananjaya however leaping with both hands to his left took an outstanding catch.
Off Kumara’s next over, Dhananjaya was called into action once more, but this time for a considerably easier effort, as Mehidy Hasan was forced to fend off ferocious delivery that spat at him from just short of a length. The lobbed catch was easily completed by the substitute.
Sarkar, alongside tail ender Taijul Islam, then played a lone hand for the next few overs notching an 86-ball 69, before Akila Dananjaya rattled his stumps with a leg spinner that spun and kept low.
With Bangladesh’s last recognised batsman in the pavilion, the writing was on the wall, and two bits of well executed fielding ended the game. First was Shafiul Islam, who was seamlessly stumped by Kusal Perera, and then Rubel Hossain, who was run out following a quality bit of fielding at point by Karunaratne - the captain leading by example.
But while the innings and the series ended in ignominy for the visitors, earlier, a much improved Bangladesh performance with the ball had restricted Sri Lanka for most of their innings, only to be undone by a damaging couple of overs at the death, where they conceded 106 runs in the final 10 overs.
Mathews led the way for the hosts with a measured 87 off 90 deliveries, an innings which after a slow start gathered pace as Sri Lanka’s innings drew to a close. He was also involved in two key partnerships.
In the first, Mathews was cautious, and more than a touch fortunate at times, as he was dropped behind the stumps by Mushfiqur on 32, while a majority of his four boundaries during that period were edges down to third man. As such most of the risks were taken by his younger compatriot, Kusal Mendis, who continued his return to form with a 58-ball 54, inclusive of five boundaries and a six, as the pair accumulated 101 runs for the fifth wicket.
However once Mendis fell in the 42nd over, mistiming a hoick to long-on off Soumya Sarkar, Mathews took on a more aggressive approach plundering four boundaries and a six - double his tally up until that point - over the next few overs. New man in Shanaka, playing his first game of the series, was the primary aggressor though, his quick-fire knock igniting what had been a subdued Sri Lankan innings till then. The pair put on 52 runs in just 27 deliveries, before Shanaka’s cameo was brought to an end by the impressive Shafiul, who ended with match figures of 68 for 3.
Mathews then put on another 29 with Jayasuriya - who hit a few lusty blows of his own - before falling in the final over of the innings. A flurry of late boundaries from Wanindu Hasaranga nevertheless added some gloss to the finish.
Prior to Mathews’ sojourn though, it was initially Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera, with a partnership of 83 that had looked like taking the game to Bangladesh.
That said, it was during that period that Bangladesh did their best work with the ball and in the field - possibly all series - limiting scoring opportunities where ever possible, and not allowing Sri Lanka’s top order to provide the sort of platform they had done so well in the first two games. A major reason for this of course was the early dismissal of Avishka Fernando, who had so tormented the visitors in the 2nd ODI.
Fernando is very much a touch player, largely dependent on his supreme hand-eye coordination, but less so on his foot movement. This latter fact played a significant role in his dismissal, as he was rapped on the back foot, plumb in front of the stumps, playing all around one that just seamed back a touch from Shafiul.
Karunaratne and Perera then set about consolidating, though the pair were only allowed 11 boundaries over the course of their partnership, as Sri Lanka were restricted to their lowest Powerplay total of the series - 36 - and just 95 runs in the first 20 overs.
Sri Lanka’s innings then took another hit when both batsmen were dismissed cheaply in the space of six deliveries. Karunaratne was the first to go, as a premeditated paddle sweep was gently lobbed straight up in the air for an easy take by Mushfiqur behind the stumps. Perera followed his captain the next over, wafting hard at one outside off stump, only to nick it through to Mushfiqur once more.
Sri Lanka were understandably in a spot of bother with two new batsmen at the crease, however both Mendis and Mathews played sensibly, looking to keep wickets in hand and drag the game till the final overs, before a late innings onslaught. A plan that was, in the end, executed to perfection.
