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Fans erupt as Kusal Mendis stars in Sri Lanka’s dominant 7-wicket win over Bangladesh in 1st T20I

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Fans erupt as Kusal Mendis stars in Sri Lanka’s dominant 7-wicket win over Bangladesh in 1st T20I

Following their recent triumph in the ODI series, Sri Lanka continued their impressive run in the opening game of the T20I series against Bangladesh at Pallekele, securing a commanding 7-wicket win in front of a packed home crowd, with disciplined bowling and clinical batting.

Bangladesh struggle despite a flying start in T20I opener

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first, and the visitors made use of the opportunity with a flying start, powered by Parvez Hossain Emon’s brisk 38 off just 22 balls. However, a few quick wickets followed, halting the momentum for Bangladesh. Skipper Litton Das once again failed to deliver, falling to Jeffrey Vandersay. Meanwhile, a late fightback from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Naim helped Bangladesh cross the 150-run mark, adding crucial runs in the final overs.

For Sri Lanka, it was a clinical bowling performance, with their bowlers showing flashes of brilliance and maintaining tight lines. Leading the pack was Maheesh Theekshana, who picked up 2 wickets in his 4 economical overs. Nuwan Thushara, Dasun Shanaka, and Vandersay also claimed one wicket each, keeping Bangladesh under control with disciplined execution and sharp fielding efforts.

Kusal Mendis leads a clinical batting performance from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka started their chase strongly with Pathum Nissanka scoring 42 runs off just 16 balls, hitting several boundaries and sixes. After he got out, Kusal Mendis took charge and played a steady innings of 73 runs from 51 balls. Avishka Fernando along with captain Charith Asalanka finished the game comfortably, helping Sri Lanka reach the target with more than an over to spare.

Bangladesh’s bowlers had a tough time controlling the Sri Lankan batsmen. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the important wicket of Nissanka, while Mohammad Saifuddin and Rishad Hossain also got one wicket each. However, the rest of the bowlers couldn’t stop the runs from flowing. Sri Lanka’s batsmen kept rotating the strike and took advantage of loose balls, making it difficult for Bangladesh to defend their total. In the end, Sri Lanka won by seven wickets and took the lead in the T20I series.

Also READ: Sri Lanka Cricket requests BCCI for India series; Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI return on cards

Here’s how fans reacted:

Also READ: Fans go gaga as Kusal Mendis’ spectacular century powers Sri Lanka to an ODI series win against Bangladesh


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