Sri Lanka levels the series, 1-1 as Nissanka, Asalanka, and Hasaranga dazzle
Bangladesh had a score that appeared strong at the midway point thanks to Towhid Hridoy's valiant 96 in the first inning.
Ankush Pandey
Sri Lanka secured a victory with 3 wickets remaining, leaving 17 balls unconquered.
Bangladesh, 286 for 7 (Hridoy 96*, Sarkar 68, Hasaranga 4-45), lost against Sri Lanka, 287 for 7 (Nissanka 114, Asalanka 91, Shoriful 2-49, Taskin 2-49) by three wickets.
Bangladesh battled to the very end, but Sri Lanka managed to level the series at one wicket with a close three-wicket victory in Chattogram thanks to a 185-run fourth-wicket partnership between Pathum Nissanka (114) and Charith Asalanka (91).
Hridoy's Unbelievable 96* Runs Lead Bangladesh to a Strong 28
Despite Hasaranga's four-wicket haul, the home side displayed a promising batting show.
In the second ODI in Chattogram, Towhid Hridoy's slow-burning innings were the perfect catalyst after Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto's solid innings. He helped lead Bangladesh to a competitive total of 286 for 7.
Having come on to bat in the 13th over, Hridoy finished unbeaten on 96 off 102, a strike rate that belied the burst of pace he produced at the end, saving an innings that had appeared doomed at the last hurdle. The two scored 50 off only 23 deliveries as Bangladesh scored 80 off the final 10 overs, 54 of which came in the final five overs, along with Taskin Ahmed, whose cameo of 18 off 10 also gave good support. Late in the inning, the hosts displayed a string of huge hits that gave them the advantage going into halftime.
Prior to that, Bangladesh's attempts had been threatened by Wanindu Hasaranga, who had been wicketless the previous time out and took four wickets for 45 runs. Dilshan Madushanka also played a crucial role, taking two wickets early in the innings and producing a brilliant deep catch to remove Sarkar. However, concerningly for Sri Lanka, he exited the pitch in the middle of his seventh over while holding his left hamstring.
Sri Lanka had won the toss and chosen to bowl first this time around, so their thoughts focused firmly on the possibility of evening dew. With barely three deliveries to spare, Madushanka sent Litton Das packing for the second duck in a row.
And if Pathum Nissanka at slip had managed to hold onto a thick edge from Shanto from Pramod Madushan an over later, or if Sri Lanka had thought to watch a waft from the same batsman two balls later, which replays revealed he had nicked, it may have been even better for the visitors.
To his credit, Shanto took advantage of this good fortune and turned it into a springboard to assault the Lankan seamers, scoring 64 runs in the first powerplay. His confidence was rising, as seen by a couple of magnificent smashes through the covers on the up, but his innings were cut short when he edged a seaming delivery from Madushanka through to Kusal Mendis for a spectacular capture.
However, Sarkar had already developed an interest in the game, so the scoring rate would not decrease. Sarkar assumed the aggressive role and made sure the scoring rate remained above six an over, especially with an unconfident Hridoy at the other end. Before he was removed by a wonderful catch in the deep made by Madushanka, the two put on 55 off 54 and were threatening much more, especially Sarkar, who was beginning to middle the ball with increasing regularity.
Madushanka dashed to his right and launched himself at the ball, making an amazing catch with both hands in midair after Sarkar had skillfully executed a reverse sweep off Hasaranga that was headed for the ropes. All Sarkar could do was stare in shock as Hasaranga's joyful yells gave him a glimpse into the thrashing he had endured at the hands of Sarkar earlier.
One moment of craziness on the part of Mahmudullah saw his charge, Hasaranga, swing all over a googly and find himself stumped miles out of his crease. This brought two. As a result, Bangladesh went from being 130 for 2 to 130 for 4, and it was up to Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim to pull together. Thus, they performed in a stand scoring 43 out of 57.
However, Hasaranga struck again just as Mushfiqur was about to change gears. Mushfiqur missed his effort at a sweep due to a tossed-up leg break on the leg stump, and the subsequent long and loud appeal for the leg before ensued. However, umpire Masudur Rahman remained unmoved, so Sri Lanka requested a review, which confirmed their joy with three reds.
Similar to what happened to Sri Lanka two days earlier, Bangladesh was suddenly in danger of collapsing at a critical juncture in their innings when Hasaranga removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz a few overs later.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib, however, proved to be an able and unyielding constable in a 33-ball innings of 18, holding up one end while Hridoy kept the scoreboard ticking over till Hridoy and Taskin delivered the flourish that the Chattogram audience was clamoring for.
