SL outplay B’desh to seal ODI series

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in the second one-day international (ODI) to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series in Colombo on Sunday.

Avishka Fernando made his team’s highest score of 82 off 75 balls while Angelo Mathews added an unbeaten 52 as Sri Lanka reached 242-3 in 44.4 overs after restricting Bangladesh to 238-8 in 50 overs.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim made an undefeated 98 for Bangladesh while Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana and leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya claimed two wickets each for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka won Friday’s opening match by 91 runs in what was veteran fast bowler Lasith Malinga’s last ODI. The third and final match of the series will be held on Wednesday.

Earlier Mushfiqur Rahim hit an unbeaten 98 to steer Bangladesh to a modest 238-8. Mushfiqur slammed six fours and a six in a 110-ball innings to bail out Bangladesh, who lost their first six wickets for 117 runs as they looked for a competitive score to level the three-match series. Mushfiqur and number eight Mehidy Hasan shared 84 runs, a seventh-wicket record for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, to give the visitors’ innings some respectability. Mehidy made 43 off 46 balls with six boundaries before he was caught by Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne at mid-off off Nuwan Pradeep.

Pradeep, fellow pace bowler Isuru Udana and leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya claimed two wickets each for Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh, who lost Friday’s opening match by 91 runs, were in trouble soon after skipper Tamim Iqbal won the toss and elected to bat at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Pradeep trapped opener Soumya Sarkar leg-before for 11 before Tamim dragged an Udana delivery onto his stump after making 19.

Dananjaya removed Mohammad Mithun for 12 and bowled Mahmudullah Riyad for six before Sabbir Rahman’s run out for 11 compounded Bangladesh’s problems.

Mushfiqur began his fight back with Mehidy after Udana had Mosaddek Hossain caught by Kusal Perera for 13. Mushfiqur went off the strike in the fifth ball of the final over to miss out on his eighth ODI hundred by just two runs.

Score Board

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal b Udana 19

Soumya Sarkar lbw b Pradeep 11

M Mithun c Mendis b Dananjaya 12

Mushfiqur Rahim not out 98

Mahmudullah Riyad b Dananjaya 6

Sabbir Rahman run out 11

M Hossain c K. Perera b Udana 13

M Hasan c Karunaratne b Pradeep 43

Taijul Islam run out 3

Mustafizur Rahman not out 2

Extras: (b3 lb4, w12, nb1) 20

Total: (eight wickets; 50 overs) 238

DNB: Shafiul Islam

Fall: 1-26 (Soumya), 2-31 (Tamim), 3-52 (Mithun), 4-68 (Mahmudullah), 5-88 (Sabbir) 6-117 (Mosaddek), 7-201 (Mehidy), 8-231(Taijul)

Bowling: De Silva 10-0-39-0 (1w), Pradeep 10-0-53-2 (1w, 1nb), Udana 10-0-58-2 (1w) Kumara 10-0-42-0 (3w), Dananjaya 10-0-39-2 (2w)

Sri Lanka

A. Fernando c Tamim b Mustafizur 82

D. Karunaratne b Mehidy 15

K. Perera c Soumya b Mustafizur 30

K. Mendis not out 41

A. Mathews not out 52

Extras: (b4 lb 5, w12, nb1) 22

Total: (three wickets; 44.4 overs) 242

Fall: 1-71 (Karunaratne), 2-129 (Fernando), 3-146 (Perera)

Bowling: Mehidy 10-0-51-1, Shafiul 5-0-29-2 (2w), Taijul 10-2-35-0 (2w), Mustafizur 8-0-50-2 (3w, 1nb), Mosaddek 7-0-32-0 (1w), Sabbir 2.4-0-20-0, Soumya 2-0-16-0

Result: Sri Lanka won by seven wickets

Toss: Bangladesh

Umpires: Lyndon Hannibal (SRI), Marais Erasmus (SA)

TV Umpire: Nitin Menon (IND)

Match Referee: Chris Broad (ENG).