SL vs BAN: Sri Lanka thump Bangladesh to complete 3-0 whitewash
Sri Lanka registered a comprehensive 122-run victory over Bangladesh to complete the 3-0 whitewash at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Angelo Mathews, top-scorer of the match, claimed both the player of the match and player of the series awards. The Sri Lankan board also staged a farewell ceremony for Nuwan Kulasekara who had announced his retirement earlier.
Also read: Sri Lankan bowler Nuwan Kulasekara retires from international cricket
Bangladesh needed to show mettle in the absence of their superstar Shakib Al Hasan in this brief ODI series. However, the visitors fell flat. The series was already decided in the last game, thus third ODI was a chance for the Bangla tigers to grab a consolation win. They began well by taking the first Sri Lankan wicket within the first five overs.
Sri Lankan batting stands tall
Choosing to bat first, the hosts lost Avishka Fernando early but next batsmen did not repeat his mistake. All four batsmen that followed Fernando scored minimum 40 and carried Sri Lanka past the par total. Mathews was the most effective as he ended just 13 runs short of his century. He accelerated in the end overs and was dismissed on the first ball of the 50th over. His 87 from 90 balls included 8 fours and a six.
Seamers takedown Bangla batting
Bangladesh captain, Tamim Iqbal, continued his poor form and fell in the second over of the chase. He could score only 21 runs in the series. Kasun Rajitha provided the double blow by sending back Anamul Haque as well. Dasun Shanaka was introduced in the 12th over and he made an immediate impact.
In his first over itself, the seamer got rid of Mushfiqur Rahim, the backbone of Bangladesh batting. By the time, he ended his six-over spell, he had added two more wickets to his tally. Shanaka had dismissed Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudulla to reduce Bangladesh to 83/5.
Only Soumya Sarkar (69) and Taijul Islam (39) showed resistance while rest fell in a jiffy. Bangladesh were all out for 172 in just 36 overs. Shanaka finished with the figures of 3/27 while Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara snared two wickets each. In the presentation ceremony, Kulasekara was given a guard of honour by his teammate and also gave a farewell speech.
