Sri Lanka – Bangladesh 2nd T20 Bangladesh Bounce Back to Level Series with Emphatic Win

By M. Shamil Amit
Bangladesh bounced back to level the three-match T20 series 1-1 with an emphatic 83-run win over hosts Sri Lanka in the second T20 encounter played at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday. The Bangladesh bowlers combined effectively this time to bundle out Sri Lanka for a low score of 94 runs.
Sri Lanka, in their challenging run chase of 178, fell into deep trouble early on, losing their top four wickets for just 30 runs by the sixth over. Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam did the early damage, claiming the crucial wickets of Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando, the latter continuing his run of poor form.
Despite a brief 41-run stand for the fifth wicket between Pathum Nissanka and Dasun Shanaka, the dismissal of both batsmen led to a regular fall of wickets. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain dealt a major blow in his second over, taking the wickets of Nissanka and Chamika Karunaratne, which left Sri Lanka reeling at 71 for 6.
With little batting left and the Bangladesh bowlers on top, Sri Lanka lost their remaining four wickets for just 23 runs and were eventually bowled out for 94.
The foundation for Bangladesh’s win was laid by skipper Litton Das, who cracked a quickfire 76 off 50 balls, including one boundary and five towering sixes. He also contributed significantly behind the stumps with four dismissals, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Bangladesh recovered from the early loss of openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon with the score at just 7 in the second over. It was skipper Litton Das who came to the rescue.
Das was involved in two valuable partnerships—first, a 69-run stand off 55 balls for the third wicket with Towhid Hridoy. After Hridoy's dismissal for 31, Das partnered with Shamim Hossain in a brisk 77-run stand off 39 balls for the fifth wicket. Das’s innings ended at 76, which featured a boundary and five sixes.
Bangladesh’s scoring accelerated in the final overs. With the score at 115 for 4 in the 15th over, they added 62 runs in the remaining five overs, despite losing three more wickets, including Shamim Hossain, who made a quickfire 48 off 27 balls, with five boundaries and two sixes, helping them post a competitive total of 177 for 7.
For Sri Lanka, left-arm pacer Binura Fernando was the most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 3 for 31 in his four overs.
The two sides will meet for the third and final T20 on July 16 at the R. Premadasa Stadium.