Sri Lanka held their nerves to pull off a thrilling last-over win against Bangladesh to qualify for the Super Four of the DP World Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday night.
Chasing a stiff target of 184, Sri Lanka got home by two wickets and with four balls to spare.
They take on Afghanistan, whom they lost to in the tournament opener, in the Super Four at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Opener Kusal Mendis led the batting effort for Sri Lanka with a top score of 60 from 37 deliveries which contained four boundaries and three sixes, while captain Dasun Shanaka made 45 from 33 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Medium pacer Ebadot Hossain picked three wickets, while Taskin Ahmed took two for 24. Ear-lier, a half-century stand between Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah Riyad guided Bangladesh to a com-petitive 183-7 against Sri Lanka in a do-or-die Asia Cup clash on Thursday.
Sri Lanka took regular wickets but the left-handed Afif (39) and Mahmudullah (27) put on 57 runs for the fifth wicket to boost Bangladesh’s bid to make the Super Four stage of the six-nation tourna-ment.
Number seven Mosaddek Hossain chipped in with a useful 24 not out off nine balls to finish the innings with a flourish.
The loser of the contest will crash out of the tournament, which acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia.
Fast bowler Asitha Fernando struck early in his T20 debut to send back Sabbir Rahman, who came in as one of the three changes for Bangladesh, caught behind for five in the third over.
Opener Mehidy Hasan took on Asitha with three straight boundaries including a six off a scoop shot that went over the fine-leg fence.
Sri Lanka reached 55-1 in the first six overs of the powerplay — when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle — but leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga struck soon after.
Hasaranga bowled Mehidy with a googly for 38 off 26 deliveries to silence a noisy crowd dominated by Bangladesh fans in face paint and waving national flags.
Chamika Karunaratne took down Mushfiqur Rahim in the next over for four to suddenly check Bangladesh´s surge.
Shakib, a left-handed all-rounder, attempted to hit back with two straight reverse scoops off Ka-runaratne but soon fell to Maheesh Theekshana´s mystery spin. He made 24.
Afif brought up Bangladesh’s 100 with a four and six off Hasaranga and rebuilt the innings with Mahmudullah.
The two batsmen failed to convert their starts into bigger scores, but Hossain and Taskin Ahmed made sure Bangladesh finished on a high with an unbeaten stand of 24 in 11 balls.—Agencies
