At Colombo, Bangladesh were comfortably chasing a target of 245 in 300 balls. At one point, with 100 runs on the board for the loss of just one wicket, it seemed the Tigers were cruising towards victory.
But then, everything changed in a flash. Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis wreaked havoc with their spin. In just 25 deliveries, Bangladesh collapsed, losing 7 wickets while adding only 5 runs to the scoreboard.
By modern ODI standards, a target of 245 is considered modest. The way Bangladesh’s top-order was playing, it looked like the chase would be achieved with ease. After 16 overs, they had 100 runs on the board with 9 wickets in hand. But then came the all-too-familiar collapse. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s team lost 9 wickets for just 25 runs, resulting in a heavy 77-run defeat in the first match of the 3-match ODI series.
Pacer Taskin Ahmed was stunned by the batting collapse. In the post-match press conference, he shared his reaction:
“Of course, we didn’t expect anything like this. We were in a really good mood, sipping coffee and chilling. Suddenly, we saw five wickets had fallen. We’ll learn from this mistake and come back stronger, but what happened today was definitely not pleasant.”
No team in ODI history had ever lost their 2nd to 8th wickets for so few runs. The previous record was 8 runs — in 2020, the USA lost their 2nd to 8th wickets for just 8 runs against Nepal (from 23 to 31).
On Wednesday at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka lost 3 wickets for just 29 runs while batting first. Then captain Charith Asalanka steadied the innings. Thanks to his century, the hosts managed to reach a total of 244.
Asalanka top-scored with 106 runs. Kusal Mendis added the second-highest with 45, while Janith Liyanage contributed 29. Milan Rathnayake and Wanindu Hasaranga chipped in with 22 runs each.
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed claimed 4 wickets for 47 runs, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib picked up 3 wickets for 46.
