BAN vs SL: Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto led the team to victory in the T20 international series against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh won the second match by eight wickets, leveling the series. Shanto scored an unbeaten half-century, making 53 runs from 38 balls. Towhid Hridoy supported him with 32 runs off 25 balls. Together, they added 87 runs for the third wicket partnership, securing the win for Bangladesh.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had set a target of 165 runs, but Bangladesh chased it down comfortably. Openers Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar provided a solid start with a partnership of 68 runs. However, Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana broke the partnership by dismissing Sarkar and Das. Later, Hridoy and Shanto guided Bangladesh to victory without much trouble.
Bangladesh’s bowlers also performed well after Shanto chose to field first. They restricted Sri Lanka’s scoring, with Taskin Ahmed removing Avishka Fernando early. Although Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis tried to stabilize Sri Lanka’s innings with a 66-run partnership, Bangladesh’s bowlers took wickets in quick succession, preventing Sri Lanka from setting a higher total.
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Despite efforts from Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Charith Asalanka and Angelo Mathews, who contributed 28 and 32 not out respectively, they fell short of a competitive score. Asalanka admitted that they were about 20-25 runs short, and losing Kamindu to a run-out impacted the game significantly. Sri Lanka’s partnership between Mathews and Dasun Shanaka added 53 runs, but it wasn’t enough to stop Bangladesh’s victory.
BAN vs SL: MATCH DETAILS
| Sylhet International Cricket Stadium | |
| Toss | Bangladesh, elected to field first |
| Series | Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh |
| Season | 2023/24 |
| Player Of The Match | Najmul Hossain Shanto |
| Series result | 3-match series level 1-1 |
| Match number | T20I no. 2501 |
| Hours of play (local time) | 18.00 start, First Session 18.00-19.30, Interval 19.30-19.50, Second Session 19.50-21.20 |
| Match days | 6 March 2024 – night (20-over match) |
| Umpires | Gazi SohelDRSSharfuddoulaDRS |
| TV Umpire | Masudur Rahman |
| Reserve Umpire | Tanvir Ahmed |
| Match Referee | Andy Pycroft |