Sri Lanka held their nerves to defeat Bangladesh by 3 runs in a thrilling opening T20I of the two-match series in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted an impressive 183/7, riding on Danushka Gunathilaka’s unbeaten 55. Bangladesh made a spirited comeback by scalping wickets at regular intervals.
In response, Bangladesh started slowly, but skipper Mahmudullah (50) and Jaker Ali (51) stitched an important 83-run stand to reignite their hopes.
However, the regular fall of wickets amid a mounting run rate meant they fell just short of the target. Needing 9 off the final over, Nasum Ahmed smacked a six, but Sri Lanka held their nerve to eke out a victory.
Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali’s fifties were unsuccessful as Sri Lanka took a 1-0 lead in the series. Munaf Patel was the star bowler with excellent figures of 2/19.
Both teams hope to learn from their mistakes in this thrilling encounter when they meet again in the second and final T20I on Friday.
