We panicked – Taskin Ahmed

Friday, 4 July 2025 00:20 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Milan Rathnayake (second from left) is congratulated by teammates after running out Najmul Hossain

 

 Janith Liyanage celebrating spectacular diving catch (see inset) he held at mid-off to dismiss Bangladesh top scorer Tanzid Hasan


  • Milan’s run out and Janith’s catch were the turning points – Hasaranga

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed said that after the run out of Najmul Hossain which came out from nowhere, Bangladesh panicked and buckled under pressure to lose the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium by 77 runs on Wednesday.

“After that great start, we were a bit relaxed. Everything was going our way, and suddenly, that run-out and one of our set batters, Tanzid, got out. Then we panicked a bit. We didn’t play our natural game, and under pressure, we collapsed,” said Taskin at the post-match press conference.

“Statswise, this is a very low-scoring ground, especially if you bat second, and there is a high chance you lose the game. Still, this game was in our hands, and we could have done a bit better. Seven wickets for five runs was unexpected. We had a great start, but after that... tough loss for us.”

“That [Wanindu] Hasaranga over when Najmul (Hossain) got run out followed by Tanzid’s (Hasan) dismissal, those two wickets in one over were the turning point.”

Taskin said that the dramatic collapse caught him by surprise. “It reminds me that in cricket, there is uncertainty. I wasn’t expecting that. I was chilling in the dressing room with a coffee, and suddenly, five wickets down. Hopefully, we will come back stronger in the next game, and everyone will learn from the mistakes.”

Chasing a modest target of 245, Bangladesh were well placed at 100-1 in the 17th over before an extraordinary meltdown saw them slip to 107-8 - losing seven wickets for just five runs, the worst such collapse in men’s ODI history. Bangladesh were all out for 167 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 244. 

“They were cruising at one stage. That run out from Milan (Rathnayake) changed the game. Then of course Janith Liyanage pulled off a stunner and that turned the game in our favour,” said Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

“Milan was outstanding. So was Janith. We have shown how we can change games with our fielding. This game is further proof of that.”

Apart from these two dismissals Hasaranga also played a crucial part in Bangladesh’s collapse taking four wickets for 10 runs off 7.5 overs and during the course of it reaching 100 ODI wickets in his 64th match, the second fastest for Sri Lanka after Ajantha Mendis who played one match less. Hasaranga narrowly missed another career milestone when he ended the match one run shy of reaching 1000 ODI runs.

“I wasn’t aware of the 1000-run milestone but I knew I just needed one wicket for 100 wickets. It’s the day I complete eight years as an international cricketer and I am very pleased with this performance. I hope to continue in the same way,” said Hasaranga who made his ODI debut on 2 July 2017 by performing a hat-trick against Zimbabwe at Galle.

“I missed a lot of cricket due to my injuries and the surgery that I had to undergo. The toughest part was missing a World Cup due to injury. Very happy to have contributed to the success of Sri Lanka. Proud about it.”

“We knew that if we got to something like between 240 and 250, batting first we could defend the total with the bowling we have,” Hasaranga said.

That total could not have been possible had it not been for a captain’s innings of 106 from Charith Asalanka.

“Charith goes about his business as a mature player. He handles the middle situations well. He gets the other batters to build partnerships. He has a knack to get the best out of his batting partners. He has been very key for our success and he has been amongst runs for us in the last 18 months or so,” assessed Hasaranga.

In the past few months there has been a remarkable turnaround in ODI fortunes for Sri Lanka and Hasaranga put it down to the contributions made by the batsmen.

“Every batter has started contributing for the team. That’s something that we didn’t have a few years ago. Why we are winning consistently nowadays is that the batters are doing their job and things are made easy for the bowlers.”

 

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.