SL VS BAN - 15th Match, Super 12 Group 1, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021

A win for Sri Lanka to start their journey in the Super 12s. Bangladesh had their chances but couldn't grab them. So that's the first game done for today. Just the small matter of an India-Pakistan contest to follow. Head over to our coverage there. Cheers!

Shanaka: Not the easiest target to chase. It's all about boundaries. Once the batsman gets set, any target is chaseable. Really important to win the first game. They batted really well. Those knocks are brilliant (Asalanka and Rajapaksa).

Mahmudullah: Batters did a great job. Liton and Naim gave us a very good start. Naim played a brilliant innings to hold the innings together. Mushy played a brilliant innings. We lost a few chances. Would like to correct those things in the next game. Watching last few games here, we felt extra spinner was a good option. We missed a couple of chances - would've been a different story. Hopefully we can put up a good game against them (England).

Charith Asalanka, Player of the Match: Happy that I could help Sri Lanka win the game. It looked like a very good pitch when I walked out to bat, so I tried to play my shots. Rajapaksha was the game changer, he played a few wonderful shots. I want to keep this up and keep winning games for my country.

17:36 Local Time, 13:36 GMT, 19:06 IST: What an effort from Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa to lead Sri Lanka to victory! It's their highest successful run-chase in T20 World Cups. Sri Lanka got off to a flier, then slipped up in the middle, before the partnership between Asalanka and Rajapaksa turned things around in superb fashion. 171 looked like a good total from Bangladesh especially with the attack they had. The pitch however played much better than what we've seen at Sharjah previously this year. And those two dropped catches from Liton Das proved to be extremely costly. The first of those dropped catches was when the balance started shifting. Sri Lanka needed 82 off the last eight, having gone from 71/1 to 79/4. Another wicket and Bangladesh would've been right on top. Instead, Rajapaksa got a big slice of fortune on his 30th birthday and never looked back.

Nasum Ahmed to Asalanka, FOUR, looks to drive, gets an outside edge and there's no slip! It runs away for four. Sri Lanka have done it comfortably in the end with seven balls to spare with Asalanka making a name for himself

Nasum Ahmed to Asalanka, 2 runs, advances down and goes hard at a wide one. He has sliced this off the outside half, and the ball loops over backward point

Nasum Ahmed to Shanaka, 1 run, short outside off, slapped to sweeper cover

Dasun Shanaka, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Nasum Ahmed to Rajapaksa, out Bowled!! Length ball turning in from outside off, Rajapaksa makes room to cut it away but misses. It crashes into middle stump. That ends a fine knock from Rajapaksa on his 30th birthday. Has got SL to the doorstep of victory. Surely they can't blow it from here. Rajapaksa b Nasum Ahmed 53(31) [4s-3 6s-3]

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

Nasum Ahmed to Rajapaksa, 2 runs, fired in at the stumps, Rajapaksa reverse-sweeps through backward point

Nasum Ahmed [2.0-0-20-1] is back into the attack

Mustafizur to Asalanka, no run, beats him with a wide yorker to finish the over

Mustafizur to Rajapaksa, 1 run, yorker length delivery that's been squeezed into the off-side

Mustafizur to Rajapaksa, 2 runs, a better throw would've probably had him. This one's pretty far from the stumps, which means the keeper has to first collect and then flick it onto the stumps. Enough time for Rajapaksa to dive back in. Back of a length outside off, an off-cutter, and Rajapaksa dabs it fine. Brings up fifty on his 30th birthday, and gets a big hug from Asalanka

Mustafizur to Rajapaksa, no run, nails the yorker wide of off, Rajapaksa doesn't make contact as he tries to reach out

74* by Asalanka is the highest individual score in T20 WC 2021 surpassing Jatinder Singh's 73* vs PNG

Mustafizur to Asalanka, 1 run, wide yorker, Asalanka carves it to deep backward point

Mustafizur to Asalanka, no run, very full ball wide of off, just inside the tramline and Asalanka shoulders arms