Sangakkara and Murali shatter Bangladesh dream
Kumar Sangakkara cracked a solid 59 and Muttiah Muralitharan hammered
33 off 16 balls as Sri Lanka clinched a thrilling two-wicket win over
Bangladesh in the tri-series final Friday.
Sri Lanka made a horror start when they lost five wickets for six
runs - the lowest score at the fall of the fifth wicket in the history
of the one-day game - before surpassing Bangladesh’s total of 152 with
11 balls to spare.
Man-of-the-match Sangakkara kept his cool under pressure to
mastermind his team’s win with his 44th half-century. He also added 63
runs for the seventh wicket with Farveez Maharoof, who remained unbeaten
with 38.
Bangladesh had an opportunity to clinch their maiden tri-series
involving a Test-playing nation when left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan
removed Sangakkara and Nuwan Kulasekara in three balls to reduce Sri
Lanka to 114-8.
But Muralitharan shattered the hosts’ dream with his amazing power
hitting as he plundered 20 runs in an over from teenage paceman Rubel
Hossain, including three fours and a six.
The Sri Lankan tail-ender ensured the victory when he smashed Hossain
for a four and a six off successive balls in the bowler’s next over
before Maharoof ended the match with a single off spinner Naeem Islam in
the penultimate over.
Fast bowler Nazmul Hossain (3-30) was instrumental in putting Sri
Lanka under pressure, grabbing three of the first five wickets in an
incisive opening spell.
The tourists’ batting woes began with the first ball of the innings
when veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya was run out following a mix-up
with Upul Tharanga.
The 21-year-old Hossain then rattled Sri Lanka with two wickets in
three balls, having Tharanga and skipper Mahela Jayawardene caught by
wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim.
Sri Lanka’s batting continued to wobble as Mashrafe Mortaza had
Chamara Kapugedera caught by Junaid Siddique in the slips and Hossain
bowled Thilan Thushara, but Sangakkara and Muralitharan came to their
team’s rescue.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers earlier did a good job when they restricted the
hosts to a modest total, with paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (3-19) doing the
early damage and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis (3-24) striking in
the closing overs.
Raqibul Hasan top-scored with a fighting 43 not out. He also added 53
for the seventh wicket with Naeem Islam (21), the highest stand of the
innings. Mohammad Mahmudullah was the other main run-getter with 26.
DHAKA, Friday, AFP
BANGLADESH
Tamim Iqbal c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 18
Junaid Siddique c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 1
Mushfiqur Rahim b Kulasekara 4
Mohammad Ashraful c Sangakkara b Maharoof 13
Shakib Al Hasan c Sangakkara b Thushara 9
Raqibul Hasan not out 43
Mohammad Mahmudullah b Muralitharan 26
Naeem Islam c Mubarak b Mendis 21
Mashrafe Mortaza c Kapugedera b Mendis 0
Nazmul Hossain lbw b Muralitharan 0
Rubel Hossain c Kapugedera b Mendis 0
Extras (b4, lb2, nb1, w10) 17
Total (for all out) 152
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Siddique), 2-12 (Rahim), 3-34 (Ashraful), 4-42 (Iqbal), 5-54 (S. Hasan),
6-98 (Mahmudullah), 7-151 (Naeem), 8-151 (Mortaza), 9-151 (N. Hossain), 10-152 (R. Hossain).
Bowling: Kulasekara 8-1-19-3 (nb1, w1), Thushara 7-2-20-1, Maharoof 8-0-33-1 (w3),
Mendis 9.4-0-24-3 (w1), Muralitharan 10-1-33-2 (w5), Jayasuriya 7-1-17-0.
Overs: 49.4
SRI LANKA
U. Tharanga c Rahim b N. Hossain 2
S. Jayasuriya run out 0
K. Sangakkara c and b S. Hasan 59
M. Jayawardene c Rahim b N. Hossain 0
C. Kapugedera c Siddique b Mortaza 1
T. Thushara b N. Hossain 1
J. Mubarak run out 16
F. Maharoof not out 38
M. Kulasekara b S. Hasan 0
M. Muralitharan not out 33
Extras (lb2, w1) 3
Total (for eight wickets) 153
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Jayasuriya), 2-4 (Tharanga), 3-4 (Jayawardene), 4-5 (Kapugedera),
5-6 (Thushara), 6-51 (Mubarak), 7-114 (Sangakkara), 8-114 (Kulasekara).
Bowling: Mortaza 10-1-18-1 (w1), N. Hossain 10-3-30-3, S. Hasan 10-2-22-2,
R. Hossain 9-2-52-0, Naeem 9.1-2-29-0. |