Afghanistan, Bangladesh in shock wins:

Lankans battle for bronze

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from China

Sri Lanka will have to wait until Friday afternoon whether its 143-member contingent for the 16th Asian Games would return home empty handed without a single medal or not. Sri Lanka lost its semi final match to Bangladesh by five wickets today and will now have to wait until today’s third place play-off match against Pakistan to know whether they would take home at least a solitary bronze medal.

It was a giant killing performances in today’s semi finals as the two teams which were fancied to figure in Friday’s final - Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were both beaten by minnows Bangladesh and Afghanistan respectively.

Returning to the ‘semis’ with a narrow two-wicket win over Nepal with seven balls to spare on the previous day in the quarter finals, Sri Lanka never looked comfortable against Bangladesh. The only thing that went right for Sri Lanka was skipper Jehan Mebarak’s right call when tossing.

Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 101 off the final ball of their innings. Their decision to open the innings with quick bowler Nuwan Zoysa looked questionable as he was out for 11 with 17 runs on the board in the third over. But his opening partner Jeevantha Kulatunga went on to make 25 off 19 balls with four boundaries. The penetrative Bangladesh bowling attack, led by Mohammed Sohrawordi, never allowed Sri Lankan batsmen to settle down as wickets fell at regular intervals. Sri Lanka which appeared to be going well at 38 for 1 in the fifth over, allowed Bangladesh bowlers to take control after Kulatunga was trapped leg before by Mohammed Hussain.

Besides Kulatunga’s useful knock, the only other bright spot in the Lankan innings was that blistering 28 off 22 balls with two sixes and one four by Chinthaka Jayasinghe. But the rest of the Lankan batmen surrendered meekly against the accurate Bangladesh attack.

Sohrawordi did most of the damage to finish with 4 for 6 off four overs. He was well supported by first change bowler Kazi Shahadat Hossain, who finished with 3 for 29, including the wickets of openers Zoysa (11), Kulatunga (25) and No. 4 bat Indika de Saram (2).

Paceman Nuwan Zoysa gave Sri Lanka fresh hopes as he removed Bangladesh openers Mohammed Mithun (bowled for one) and Nazim Uddin (caught K. Perera for 16) after Bangladesh has scored only 26 runs in the fourth over. But one drop bat Naeem Islsm (25 off 34 balls with two fours) and Foysal Hossain Decans (33 off 24 balls with one six and three fours) took the game beyond Lanka’s reach. Decans and Mohammed Ashraful (18) added 42 runs for the fourth wicket in 6.1 overs to make sure that Bangladesh get at least the silver medal in the Twnety20 cricket competition which has been included in the Asian Games for the first time in its 59-year-old history. Bangladesh looked panic when they had to score just two runs for victory with ample balls in hand and lost two successive wickets with their total on 100. But Hamid Hasan who came in at the fall of the fifth wicket hit the two runs needed in the first ball he faced to shatter Lankan’s hopes of a gold medal.

Sri Lanka will now meet Pakistan in Friday’s third place play-off to decide the bronze medalist.

Pakistan too suffered a shock defeat at the hand of Afghanistan in the other semi final.

Afghanistan proved that their shock win over Hong Kong in the quarter finals was not a fluke, when they knocked out the hot favorites Pakistan by 22 runs in the first semi final.

Opting to field first, Pakistan allowed Afghanistan to make 128 for 8 in 20 overs. Pakistan was going great guns in their run chase with their total reading at 60 for one in the eleventh over before disaster struck them.

Pakistan men’s team’s hope of emulating their women with another gold medal in cricket was shattered by Afghan cricketers who proved their fighting qualities.

Pakistan lost four front line wickets with the addition of only eight runs to the total as they slumped to 68 for 5 in the 14th over. They never recovered from that shock and managed to score only 103 for 7 in their 20 overs. Thus, it will be a Lilliputians final on Friday to decide the gold medal, between Afghanistan and Bangladesh.