Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - Asia Cup 2023, Super Four, Colombo

8th Match, Super Four (D/N), Colombo (RPS), September 09, 2023

, Asia Cup

12m ago

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This time it is Shamim Hossain who drops a much simpler chance off Shoriful Islam in the 22nd over. Both fast bowlers get the batters to play false shots but don’t get backed up by the fielders. Shoriful aims a short-of-a-length ball into the body of Mendis from the around the wicket angle. Mendis pulls but does not connect as well. Shamim misjudges the flight of the ball and runs in from the deep backward square leg fence when he should have stayed on the ropes. The ball ends up bursting through his hands and what’s worse goes over the ropes.

A couple of balls later, Shoriful deceives Mendis with a lovely slower offcutter outside off but as has been his lucky, he gets a thick outside edge that flies past the keeper. The over might have gone for 12 but Shoriful had the upper hand.

40m ago

Kusal Mendis is coming into the game on the back of an 84-ball 92 against Afghanistan. And he has straightway looked confident here. He started off his innings with a powerful four past mid-off before dragging Shakib to the deep midwicket fence.

Pathum Nissanka, on the other hand, hasn’t always been in control with his shots, but has weathered the early storm and now will be looking to go big. He had life on 36 with Mushfiqur Rahim, the keeper failing to hold on to a tough chance. It was Hasan Mahmud, brought back into the attack in the 19th over, who induced a thick outside edge. Mushfiqur made a valiant leap to his right but failed to latch on. Nissanka has a control percentage of just 69% so far, but he’s hung in, which is important.

The duo brought up their 50-run stand off 80 balls, and this partnership will be important as Sri Lanka look to lay a solid platform.

1h ago

The Colombo surface has seamed so likely it will spin as well, right? That seems to be the case here on first evidence. Captain Shakib Al Hasan introduces himself in the ninth over the innings and finds some sharp turn right away. A few balls have also stopped a touch.

Nasum Ahmed also finds some turn, though he hasn’t been as effective as Shakib, who has kept the batters second-guessing on more than one occasion.

Historically as well, Colombo has aided spinners a lot more. In ODIs since 2021, spinners have picked up 62% of the wickets to fall here and they have a better average and economy rate.

62 Percentage of wickets picked up by spinners in ODIs in Colombo since 2021 at an average of 30.6 and economy of 4.9.

1h ago

The ball is definitely hooping around, for both Taskin and Hasan Mahmud. Hasan, in particular, is getting a lot of movement and lift off the surface. Both bowlers have induced multiple false shots, and the batters have played a missed number of times but remained steady in the first five overs.

Dimuth Karunaratne then opens up his shoulders a bit getting two successive fours off Hasan. He first clips the bowler through midwicket and follows it up with a delightful straight drive that just pings off the blade. But, Hasan comes back with a peach of a length ball that pitches on middle and shapes away late, catching a thin outside edge of Karunaratne’s blade who was squared up. Not much he could have done there, to be fair. Top work. Hasan is delighted and lets the batter know. In comes Kusal Mendis.

1h ago

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4 Shakib Al Hasan has won the toss every single time at the Asia Cup, but this is the first time he has chosen to have a bowl.

2h ago

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The weather will remain a talking point in Colombo without doubt. While all eyes are fixed on the key India-Pakistan clash that is tomorrow (and the reserve day...not going there), rain is expected to make its way today as well.

Or is it?

Andrew Fidel Fernando informs us that Colombo has been the clearest and sunniest it's been for a few days. So, what do you know, the weather might after all not become an issue today and we might just get in an uninterrupted game.

3h ago

It is time for Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, also popularly known as the #NaaginDerby. For the unversed, Andrew Fidel Fernando has you covered, here. The last time these two sides met, in the group stage, Sri Lanka completely outplayed Bangladesh, who will be keen on exacting revenge. Can they do it though with Sri Lanka in the form that they are? The hosts are coming into this game on the back of 12 consecutive ODI wins. A victory here and they will become the team with the second-longest winning streak in the format.

12 Number of consecutive ODI wins by Sri Lanka. Only the Australians of 2003 achieved a longer streak (21), while Sri Lanka are currently tied with Pakistan (12 wins in 2007-08) and South Africa (12 wins in 2005, and again in 2016-17).

Bangladesh will have to play out of their skins to stop them. They have blown more cold than hot so far in the tournament. A win against Bangladesh sandwiched between two heavy defeats to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The loss against Pakistan in the opening Super Four fixture would be troubling them more. Their batting barring Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim was all over the place, while the bowlers looked toothless. Something Urooj Mumtaz and Wasim Jaffer also addressed.