Sri Lanka take 1-0 lead after Bangladesh batting debacle

Sri Lanka Captain Charith Asalanka played a lone hand for his fifth ODI century

Wanindu Hasaranga wheels away in celebration after taking his 100th ODI wicket

Taskin Ahmed made a huge impact on the Sri Lankan innings with four wickets

Towhid Hridoy is cleaned up by Kamindu Mendis

Tanzid Hasan alone stood tall for Bangladesh with 62 off 61 balls

• Run out sparks sensational collapse – 7 wickets fall for 5 runs

Bangladesh suffered one of the most remarkable batting collapses in ODI history, losing seven wickets for five runs off 26 balls to hand Sri Lanka the first ODI on a platter by 77 runs at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

The win saw Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Upto that point, Bangladesh had the game under their control, having bowled Sri Lanka out for 244 in 49.2 overs, and then reached 100-1 with Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain batting with so much ease that it looked like a one-way traffic.

However, they say that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and what happened in the next 30 minutes was unthinkable. Sri Lanka were desperate for a breakthrough and, try as they might, their bowlers could not simply split the partnership.

But one run out is what it all took to trigger a collapse. Najmul tested the throwing arm of debutant Milan Rathnayake and, risking a second run, was run out for 23, falling short by an inch.

Enter Wanindu Hasaranga. He stormed his way to three wickets off just seven balls into his spell. His first wicket of the experienced Litton Das, whom he trapped lbw for a duck, brought him his 100th ODI wicket in his 64th match. He became the second fastest Sri Lankan to the mark after Ajantha Mendis (63). Hasaranga bowled a total of 7.5 overs, in which he bowled a whopping 40 dot balls for figures of 4/10.

Charith Asalanka, who had earlier led with the bat, then came up with some inspired bowling changes to completely change the course of the game. At one stage, it seemed like Bangladesh were running away with the game until the run out. But after the breakthrough, Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis shared the ruins as they ran riot in the next few overs as Bangladesh lost 7 wickets for 5 runs off 26 balls.

Tanvir Islam and Mustafizur Rahman showed some application and hung in with Jaker Ali to reduce the margin of defeat. Jaker batted valiantly for his fifty (51 off 64 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) but that was never going to be enough.

Sri Lanka’s fielding was outstanding, with Janith Liyanage and Milan Rathnayake excelling. It was an appalling display of batting by Bangladesh on a pitch that hardly offered much assistance to the bowlers. But nothing must be taken away from Sri Lanka. They were put under pressure early in their defence, but kept at it, ultimately carving an opening through a run out. Once they found the door ajar, they barged through, ramming every bit of Bangladesh resistance that came their way.

Sri Lanka, who won the toss and batted first, thought it was a good batting track but to their surprise, found that the new ball jumped on the batters and the spinners got some grip too. It needed a gutsy knock from Captain Asalanka to steer them towards a challenging total. Asalanka stayed on the pitch for almost 43 overs and in an ODI, it required not only great skill with the bat, but you had to be physically very fit to play an innings of this nature – 106 off 123 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes).

Asalanka showed what an incredible player he is under pressure. When his team was in trouble at 29 for three, he came in and batted positively, taking on even the best of the day to carve out his fifth ODI century and his fourth at this venue to join an elite band of cricketers who had done so before him – Sanath Jayasuriya (the present Head Coach), Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli.

Kusal Mendis, Liyanage, Rathnayake, and Hasaranga gave Asalanka good company to push the score past 240, which was still under par on this pitch. Taskin Ahmed operated smartly by using the pitch to get rid of Nishan Madushka and Kamindu Mendis early before outsmarting Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana to end with figures of 4/47. Tanzim Hasan started Sri Lanka’s early collapse by getting rid of the in-form Pathum Nissanka and finished on 3/45.

Asalanka took the Player of the Match award.

The second ODI will take place at the same venue on Saturday.