Bangladesh faced a target of 280, and they managed to reach 169 of those runs primarily through a third-wicket partnership involving Shakib Al Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Both of these batsmen had struggled in the World Cup previously, but they delivered an impressive performance today, securing a relatively comfortable victory despite some late wickets towards the end of the match.
Beyond the actual game, there was more drama in terms of disputes, with several heated arguments and a few confrontations following an earlier incident when Mathews was timed out.
As a result of this loss, Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the semifinals are officially over. They couldn’t post a competitive total at a venue where we’ve witnessed high-scoring games throughout the competition. Dilshan Madushanka provided a glimmer of hope by taking two quick wickets early in the match.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was declared player of the match for his fantastic performance.
Earlier, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to field first against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup 2023 match here at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday.
Sri Lanka concluded their innings with a total of 279 runs, which may not seem as impressive compared to the scores achieved in earlier matches at this venue.
However, there appeared to be more favourable conditions for the fast bowlers today, and their recovery from a challenging situation at 135/5, which included the unusual timing out of Mathews, is commendable.
The major highlight was Mathews’ dismissal, which was adjudged to be timed out. It was the first time in men’s international cricket that a batter was timed out.
Charith Asalanka played exceptionally well to secure his second ODI century and rescue his team from the difficult position they found themselves in. He displayed a positive approach right from the beginning of his innings, despite the loss of wickets at that stage.
Some of his delightful shots included two lofted shots over mid-off off Shakib’s bowling, as well as a well-timed six off Tanzim over long-on, which he identified as a slower ball early and executed beautifully. Remarkably, he was only on one run when he hit that six, highlighting his aggressive intent.
On the other hand, Bangladesh can take satisfaction in their overall performance, with Taskin making a strong start with the new ball, even though he didn’t claim any wickets, as Shoriful took those. Shakib and Mehidy were economical in the middle overs, although Tanzim was a bit expensive.
