SL VS BAN - Super Fours, 2nd Match, Asia Cup, 2023

So that's it from here. Wasn't the easiest pitch to bat on today, but Sadeera Samarawickrama was a cut above the rest. Towhid Hridoy was very impressive as well, but it wasn't enough to get Bangladesh over the line. Time to wrap our coverage here. Until next time, it's goodbye.

Samarawickrama, POTM: When I went to bat, wicket was not easy to bat on. My plan was to play my normal game and back myself. My plan was to play as late as possible. Was waiting for the ball to come to me, not go too far forward. I was trying to bat deep, plan was to get 250 for the team. Knew that wicket is going to play big part for spinners.

Shanaka: Bangladesh bowlers bowled really well, especially Hasan Mahmud. So I thought if I hit the seam, it can work. And I delivered. When there's no frontline bowlers, someone needs to chip in. Normally Kasun and Maheesh deliver at the top. But Maheesh delivered at the end. It's matter of time, I have played good enough cricket to deliver. Kusal and Sadeera read the wicket really well and played accordingly.

Most consecutive wins in ODIs
21 - Australia (Jan 2003 - May 2003)
13* - Sri Lanka (June 2023 - going on)
12 - South Africa (Feb 2005 - Oct 2005)
12 - Pakistan (Nov 2007 - Jun 2008)

Bangladesh has lost all 12 ODIs they have played at Colombo - RPS Stadium

Teams dismissing the opponents in most consecutive ODI innings
13* - Sri Lanka in (2023)
10 - Australia in (2009-2010)
10 - South Africa in (2013-2014)
9 - Pakistan in (1999-2000)
9 - Pakistan in (1996)  
9 - Australia in (2015)

Most matches won against an opponent in the ODI Asia Cup
13 - Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (15 matches)
13 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh (14) 
11 - India vs Bangladesh (12)
10 - Sri Lanka vs India (19)
10 - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (14)

Shakib Al Hasan - I thought it was a good toss to win at the start. We didn't bowl particuarly well. Credit to SL for the way they handled the new ball. Sadeera took the game away from us. 260 on that wicket - we needed a partnership at the start. There was help for the bowlers - both spinners and seamers. Our top four didn't get enough. He batted really well (Hridoy). He played LPL here. Had a good tournament. There are lots of ifs and buts you can talk about. We tried our best. Seamers were bit on the expensive side but they picked up all the wickets so we can't complain there

Maheesh Theekshana - I just went with my basics, bowled the second over, came back for another 3-over spell, I later came back with the old ball and used my experience to take wickets. It was painful (about the injury), but it doesn't matter when you're playing for the country. Today, someone else took the wickets. The plan was to bowl wicket to wicket, get dismissals either bowled LBW, we had the team set to do it as well.

23:01 Local Time, 17:31 GMT, 23:01 IST: Sri Lanka wrap it up by 21 runs. They didn't have it easy though. It was a hard-earned win all the way through, first with bat when they struggled to get going before a sparkling 93 from Sadeera Samarawickrama who rose above the tricky nature of the surface and batted at a different level. Then with ball, when Towhid Hridoy was threatening to take the game away. Bangladesh were struggling on 83/4 thanks to some clever use of the short balls from Shanaka when Hridoy walked in. He took time to get going. It wasn't easy with Wellalage bowling well and giving nothing away. But having seen through that phase, he started to put the foot down and kept Bangladesh in the hunt right until the last five overs. It was Theekshana though who clinched the game, coming back strongly after an erratic first spell. He took three wickets in a matter of a couple of overs and all but sealed the game.

Pathirana to Nasum Ahmed, out Bowled!! Pathirana is having none of it! Any hopes entertained by this final-wicket pair have been vanquished by a pinpoint yorker. Angled in from round the wicket, Ahmed makes room, looks to drive but misses. It smashes into middle and leg. Nasum Ahmed b Pathirana 15(15) [6s-1]

Pathirana to Nasum Ahmed, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

This is still not over. Bangladesh need 22 off 12. Just a couple of big hits and they'll almost be there

Theekshana to Nasum Ahmed, 1 run, darted in at the stumps, Ahmed swings hard and mistimes it to long-on. Just a single

Theekshana to Hasan Mahmud, 1 run, fired in full on off, carrom ball, Mahmud slices it through extra cover

Theekshana to Nasum Ahmed, 1 run, full on middle and leg, Ahmed mistimes the slog through midwicket

Theekshana to Nasum Ahmed, SIX, what a brilliant save! Wow! It's lofted down the ground and it's going over the head of long-on. But the substitute fielder jumps high, catches it and throws it back. Oh wait, replay shows his foot was on the rope before he jumped. So the third umpire is right to call it six. Brilliant effort nonetheless!

Theekshana to Nasum Ahmed, wide, well wide outside off, Ahmed fails to reach it

Theekshana to Hasan Mahmud, 1 run, fired in full on the pads, flicked through midwicket

Theekshana to Nasum Ahmed, 1 run, carrom ball into the pads, Ahmed swipes it to deep backward square

Pathirana to Hasan Mahmud, no run, full ball angling away from round the wicket, Mahmud swings and misses

Pathirana to Hasan Mahmud, no run, short of length outside off, steered to backward point

Pathirana to Hasan Mahmud, FOUR, edged and four! Good length on off, Mahmud looks to drive, and it flies off the edge past the keeper