Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s Highlights: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 21 runs

Dasun Shanaka to Mehidy Hasan, Delivers this on a good length as well and outside the off pole. Mehidy Hasan punches this towards covers and a misfield allows them to take a single. 

Dasun Shanaka to Mohammad Naim, On a good length this time and outside off. Mohammad Naim slaps this towards deep backward point and takes one. 

Dasun Shanaka to Mehidy Hasan, Dasun Shanaka bowls this full and outside the off pole. Mehidy Hasan works this past the fielder towards deep point and they run well to take three runs. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Continues to bowl on a good length and at the stumps. Mohammad Naim dabs this into the off side. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, On a good length and outside off. Mohammad Naim blocks this towards the fielder at cover. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, EDGED AND FOUR! Kasun Rajitha has looked dangerous but is a bit unlucky here! This is bowled on a good length angling away from the batter outside off. Mohammad Naim gets an outside edge past the slip fielder towards third man for four runs. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mehidy Hasan, Into the stump and serves this back of a length. Mahedi Hasan tucks this through square leg and collects a single. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Goes full and into the pads. Mohammad Naim clips this towards square leg and a misfield allows the ball to race towards the boundary ropes. The fielder in the deep dives and saves a boundary but the batters take three runs. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Kasun Rajitha bowls this back of a length and just outside off. Mohammad Naim pokes at this and gets an inside edge onto his body. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mehidy Hasan, Slightly short this time and on a leg-stump line. Mehidy Hasan blocks this with a straight bat back down the pitch. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mehidy Hasan, FOUR! Second boundary in the over and Mehidy Hasan is up and running! This is flighted full and wide outside the off pole. Mehidy Hasan gets forward and knocks this into the gap towards deep point for four more runs. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mehidy Hasan, On a shorter length once again and at the stumps. Mehidy Hasan rocks back and blocks this into the leg side. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mehidy Hasan, FOUR! Mahedi Hasan is off the mark with a late cut shot and helps himself to a boundary! This is bowled short as well and outside the off pole. Mahedi Hasan waits on it and plays this towards third man for four runs. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mohammad Naim, Strays onto the pads on a shorter length. Mohammad Naim tucks this towards deep square leg for one. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Mohammad Naim, Maheesh Theekshana bowls this short and outside off. Mohammad Naim rocks back and pushes this towards cover. 

Maheesh Theekshana to bowl the second over for Sri Lanka.

Kasun Rajitha to Mehidy Hasan, An absolute beauty to the end the over! This is bowled on a good length and in the channel outside off. Mahedi Hasan feels for this one and gets beaten all ends up. Three runs off the first over. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, On a good length this time and outside the off pole. Mohammad Naim pushes this to the right of mid off to get off the mark with a single. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Outside the leg stump once again on a fuller length. Mohammad Naim misses his glance and the ball thuds against the pads. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Goes full this time and into the pads. Mohammad Naim digs this out towards the mid on fielder.

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Bowls this back of a length and just outside off. Mohammad Naim gets on his toes and fends this back into the pitch off the top part of his bat. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, Pitching outside leg on a good length. Mohammad Naim flicks this towards the fielder at square leg. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, WIDE! Gets his line wrong again as he sprays this down leg on a good length. Mohammad Naim leaves this one alone and the umpire indicates wide once again. 

Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Naim, WIDE! Kasun Rajitha starts with a wayward delivery bowled on a good length and down leg side. Mohammad Naim is unable to play this fine and the umpire calls this wide. 

We are back for the second essay as the umpires make their way out to the middle. Slight delay as there is a little issue at the bowling crease, getting fixed at the moment as groundstaff is hammering ground near bowling crease. Mohammad Naim and Mehidy Hasan are the two openers for Bangladesh. Kasun Rajitha to start the attack for Sri Lanka. Bangladesh to chase 258. Let's play!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Sri Lanka struggled to keep the momentum throughout the inning and wickets at regular intervals did not help their cause. Sadeera Samarawickrama's inning helped them set a target that their bowlers can bowl at but they will require to pull off a special effort. They have the bowling unit to put pressure on a batting side that has struggled a couple of times in this tournament. Bangladesh will need a good start from their openers to help set a platform to pull off a successful run chase. Will they be able to exact revenge for their loss in the group stages? Or will Sri Lanka be able to achieve their second-longest winning streak in this format? We will find out shortly when we return for Bangladesh’s reply.

Sadeera Samarawickrama is up for a chat. He says that the wicket was not easy to bat at the start and they were facing a little difficulty in picking up singles. He adds that he planned to play the ball late under his eyes and that is what got him the results. He mentions that the wicket is not easy to bat against the spinners as the ball is holding onto the surface. He ends by saying that 257 is a good score on this wicket under these conditions.

The Sri Lankan openers got off to a brisk start but the islanders lost Dimuth Karunaratne early in the Powerplay. Kusal Mendis joined forces with Pathum Nissanka and looked to build the innings as they accumulated 74 runs in 107 deliveries for the second wicket. Both the batters departed in quick succession with Pathum Nissanka falling 10 runs short of his half-century and Mendis being dismissed right after he reached his fifty. Sadeera Samarawickrama held up one end thereafter but Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva could not build a decent partnership as they fell cheaply. Dasun Shanaka played the supporting role as Sadeera reached his half-century and began going after the bowlers in the death overs. The two of them added 60 runs together but the skipper departed looking to be innovative with his shot-play. Sadeera was dismissed on the last ball of the inning on 93 in deliveries as he helped his side beyond the 250-run mark and it will be interesting to see if the Lankan bowlers can make a game out of this.

A good inning by Sadeera Samarawickrama has helped his side reach of fighting total! Bangladesh will be relatively happy with their bowling performance. They have managed to restrict the hosts to a reasonable target of 257 runs and will feel like they have the batting prowess to chase down this target but would have liked to concede 10-15 runs less in the death overs. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were unable to make an impact with the new ball and the introduction of Hasan Mahmud helped them draw first blood. They were unable to take a wicket for a considerable period of time and the reintroduction of Shoriful resulted in the dismissal of both the set batters. Taskin and Mahmud took a wicket a piece to send half their opponent's side back to the shed and the Bangla Tigers looked well in control of the game. They seemed to be losing their discipline towards the end but Mahmud returned to get a crucial wicket and a run out. Taskin Ahmed did manage to take a couple of wickets in the last over but conceded 11 runs. 

Taskin Ahmed to Sadeera Samarawickrama, OUT! Caught at deep midwicket! Taskin Ahmed having the last laugh by bowling a slower ball at the stumps from back of length to which Sadeera Samarawickrama plays the pull shot but couldnt find the timing he was looking for, ends up finding Mahedi Hasan at deep mid wicket boundary. Sri Lanka finish 257/9 after 50 overs.

Taskin Ahmed to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Slower ball from the good length. Sadeera Samarawickrama looks to pull it away but misses the ball completely.

Taskin Ahmed to Sadeera Samarawickrama, SIX! Pitched up outside the off stump this time. Sadeera Samarawickrama takes a foot outside and plays the ball over the point fielder to take the ball all the way over the point boundary.

Taskin Ahmed to Sadeera Samarawickrama, FOUR! Slower ball on the leg stump and Sadeera Samarawickrama sweeps the ball to place it to the left of the short fine leg to pick up the fine leg boundary.

Taskin Ahmed to Kasun Rajitha, Short ball at the batter and Kasun Rajitha blocks it on the ground and the batters pick up a quick single.

Kasun Rajitha walks out to the centre. 

Taskin Ahmed to Maheesh Theekshana, OUT! Caught Behind! A very well-directed bouncer at the helmet of Maheesh Theekshana who looks to block the ball and gets hit on the gloves. The ball loops up and Mushfiqur Rahim completes an easy catch behind the stumps. Good start to the final over for the innings.

Hasan Mahmud to Maheesh Theekshana, Pitches the ball up following the batter outside the leg stump. Maheesh Theekshana pushes the ball to get an outside edge to the left of point for a single.

Hasan Mahmud to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Short at the batter. Sadeera Samarawickrama pulls it to long on for a single.

Hasan Mahmud to Maheesh Theekshana, just short outside off. Maheesh Theekshana plays it late towards third man for a single.

Maheesh Theekshana is out in the middle now. 

Hasan Mahmud to Sadeera Samarawickrama, OUT! RUN OUT! A good bit of footwork from Hasan Mahmud here! He bowls a low full toss at the leg stump. Sadeera Samarawickrama blocks it on the ground and the batters look to steal a single. Hasan Mahmud runs towards the ball near the batter's crease and kicks it onto the stumps. Dunith Wellalage finds himself short off his ground as seen in the the replays and Sri Lanka lose their seventh wicket. 

Hasan Mahmud to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Back of the hand slower at the top of the stumps from the length. Sadeera Samarawickrama looks to place in on the off side but is beaten.

Hasan Mahmud to Sadeera Samarawickrama, SIX! Short ball at the batter and Sadeera Samarawickrama launches a pull to put the ball rows behind the deep square leg boundary. What a shot to strat the over. Sadeera Samarawickrama has his eyes in on a big one.

Shakib Al Hasan to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Short at the stumps flicked away to deep mid wicket for a single.

Shakib Al Hasan to Dunith Wellalage, Short at the stumps flicked away to deep mid wicket for a single.

Shakib Al Hasan to Sadeera Samarawickrama, On the stumps pitched short and Sadeera Samarawickrama steps down and flicks it to deep mid wicket for a single.

Shakib Al Hasan to Sadeera Samarawickrama, FOUR! On the on side towards backward square leg, what control on that sweep shot placing it perfectly in the gap. Shakib Al Hasan pitching it up on the off stump and getting punished.

Shakib Al Hasan to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Wide! Way outside the leg stump following the batter but in the end misses to hit him.

Shakib Al Hasan to Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pitched up, wide outside off and Sadeera Samarawickrama slaps it off the front foot to pick up a couple from the left of sweepers.