END OF OVER:20 | 14 Runs 2 Wkts | BAN: 166/7 (3 runs required, RR: 8.30)
- Sohag Gazi0 (0b)
- Thisara Perera4-0-42-2
- Lasith Malinga4-0-34-1
So what a game. Certainly much closer than the No. 1 v No. 10 rank would suggest. In all honesty, in my view, it came down to a coin-toss. That no-ball could have gone either way, and it fell in favour of the visitors. It was probably exactly waist-height. That concludes our coverage. Join us again for the second match, on the 14th.
Kusal Perera is, predictably, the man of the match. He says: "They bowled very good areas, so I tried to score quickly in the first few overs, then get settled down. Team-wise we are very confident about the World Twenty20 - it's going very well."
Chandimal: "Really happy. Kusal made a good start, Nuwan batted well. I'm full of beans again. It's a good opportunity before the World Twenty20. This is our World Cup venue, so we're trying to take the advantage. Bangladesh played very well."
Mashrafe: "Boys played really well and we were really close. Nasir has been a champion fielder for us. Anamul played very well. I'm happy with my own comeback, but I could have done much better. The last year we've played really well and we can fight with Sri Lanka. A big tournament is coming up for us and this series is a good opportunity to figure ourselves out."
Niloy: "Very unprofessional by the Lankans for the delay before the last delivery. Kept Anamul waiting for a long time. You cannot do that in Cricket. " True, but most teams would have done that to break the batsman's momentum. Umpires' job to step in,
Presentation coming up.
Sri Lanka's no. 1 ranking lives to fight another day, but boy, have they had some tight games defending it. Still think that Shakib dismissal was crucial. He didn't need to go for such a low-percentage shot when his team was in control.
LoveLanka: "Phew.... ! You could be No.1 with ranking, that doesn't make you safe in this format..... what a game.. well playedd BAN..
Daniel Alexande: "Remember Thisara's last over to Maxwell? same situation here" Yep, Sri Lanka were in the same situation there, around the same time last year.
Anamul batted brilliantly in the last two overs to get Bangladesh in the match, but it was probably out of surprise, more than anything, that he couldn't put that ball away. Geez, that was mighty close to being a no-ball. I don't think Bangladesh are happy with that call, but they've got to live with it now.
Anamul Haque c & b NLTC Perera 58 (69m 45b 7x4 0x6) SR: 128.88
Massive conference at the bowler's end for Sri Lanka. Chandimal and Perera taking ages to set their field. Three needed off the last ball to win, two to tie.
Farhad Reza run out 7 (12m 5b 1x4 0x6) SR: 140.00
Sagar: "I think it's time that world cricket stops looking at Bangladesh as a lesser power now. Look at their recent record at home and you'll see that they have shown vast improvement. More than anyone else, their fans deserved it!"
Thisara to bowl the last one
END OF OVER:19 | 12 Runs | BAN: 152/5 (17 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 8.00, RRR: 17.00)
- Anamul Haque44 (39b)
- Farhad Reza7 (5b)
- Lasith Malinga4-0-34-1
- Nuwan Kulasekara4-0-29-2
Free hit coming up. Can Reza make something of this?
Bangladesh need another boundary in this over
Bangladesh need an improbable 29 from two overs now, but it's still possible.
END OF OVER:18 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | BAN: 140/5 (29 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 7.77, RRR: 14.50)
- Anamul Haque35 (34b)
- Farhad Reza5 (3b)
- Nuwan Kulasekara4-0-29-2
- Lasith Malinga3-0-22-1
Daniel Alexande: "Sri Lanka fighting back"
Bangladesh coming unstuck after having looked so good. Shakib's wicket was a killer.
Mohammad Mithun c Mathews b Kulasekara 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
END OF OVER:17 | 5 Runs 1 Wkt | BAN: 133/4 (36 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.82, RRR: 12.00)
- Anamul Haque33 (32b)
- Mohammad Mithun0 (0b)
- Lasith Malinga3-0-22-1
- Ajantha Mendis4-0-29-1
Nasir Hossain c NLTC Perera b Malinga 16 (15m 13b 0x4 1x6) SR: 123.07