Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Wednesday, 24 July 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Madushka Balasuriya
Bangladesh got their tour of Sri Lanka off to a winning start with a five-wicket victory over a Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their sole warm up game at the P. Sara Oval on Tuesday. Set a target of 283, fifties from Mohammed Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim ensured the visitors remained in control throughout their chase, while their bowlers had earlier done well to limit Sri Lanka to a score below 300.
Mithun’s 100-ball 91 in particular will be pleasing to the Bangladeshi coaching staff, after he was given a chance in the crucial number three role vacated by Shakib Al-Hasan. Scoring 11 boundaries and a six, the 28-year-old right-hander looked comfortable throughout his innings as he put on successive partnerships of 73 and 96 for the fourth and fifth wickets, with the rest of the Bangladesh batsmen simply able to bat around him.
Mithun’s calm head also allowed Mushfiqur to take on a more attacking role on his way to a 46-ball 50, which in turn built on a threatening 37 from Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order. Near run-a-ball innings from Mahmadullah (33) and Sabbir Rahman (31) proceeded to keep the Bangladesh innings on track, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers - apart from Lahiru Kumara, who impressed with figures of 2 for 26 in six overs - struggled to gain any kind of foothold in the game. Mithun eventually fell 21 runs short of the target, but some lusty hitting from Mossadek Hossain and Sabbir made sure there were no late scares.
For the hosts, Dasun Shanaka was arguably the only Sri Lankan player to come out of the game with his reputation significantly enhanced. Having come into bat at 127 for 5, his lone hand, a 63-ball 86 which included six boundaries and as many sixes, put a significant dampener on what was an otherwise stellar bowling performance from Bangladesh, as the hosts were able to post a respectable 282/8 in their fifty overs.
Shanaka was aided by 21 year-old legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who did his chances of making the first ODI a world of good with a quick-fire 28 that included four cleanly hit boundaries and a six to go with bowling figures of 1 for 39.
Meanwhile, earlier in the innings Shehan Jayasuriya’s workmanlike 56 of 78 deliveries had helped the hosts recover from a top order collapse; he was aided by a groundout 32 off 49 from Bhanuka Rajapakse, as they put on 82 for the fourth wicket. Batting at number five, the pair had been called into action inside the Powerplay period, with the trio of Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and Oshada Fernando all sent back to the pavilion by the eighth over of the game. Of that three, Gunathilaka will be the most annoyed, having looked in excellent touch during a 27-ball 26 that included five boundaries.
Of the Bangladeshi bowlers, on a wicket that didn’t offer much assistance, seamers Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed did well to strike early in the innings. Alongside Rubel, medium-pacer Soumya Sarkar was the pick of the bunch taking the two crucial middle-order scalps of Jayasuriya and Rajapakse.
