DHAKA: Bangladesh’s highest Twenty20 International total didn’t matter as Sri Lanka chased it down with 20 balls to spare to win the opening fixture of the two-match series here on Thursday.

After Bangladesh made 193-5 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka raced to victory by posting 194-4 in 16.4 overs as opener Kusal Mendis struck a belligerent maiden half-century, a 27-ball innings of 53 that included eight boundaries and two sixes.

Sri Lanka had already won the One-day International tri-series and the Test series, and need one more win in their last tour game — the second T20 International in Sylhet — on Sunday to sweep up all three formats.

Man-of-the-match Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka shared a 53-run opening stand. After Mendis fell at 90-2, Dasun Shanaka and Thisara Perera combined in an undefeated fifth-wicket stand.

Shanaka, who hit three sixes and three fours in his 24-ball blitz of 42, added 65 in 30 deliveries with hard-hitting Thisara Perera (39 off 18 balls, four fours and three sixes) to snap Sri Lanka’s eight-match losing streak in T20 matches.

Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam took 2-22 on his T20 debut for Bangladesh.

Nazmul, one of the four debutants in Bangladesh line up, broke the opening stand when he got Gunathilaka stumped for 15-ball 30.

Nazmul later picked the wicket of Upul Tharanga, for four, before fellow debutant Afif Hossain removed Mendis with his off spin.

Earlier, Bangladesh rode on brisk half-centuries by Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim to surpass their previous highest score of 190-5 against Ireland at Belfast in 2012.

Soumya’s attacking approach kept the scoreboard soaring, with Bangladesh bringing up their 100 in 10 overs.

Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on a career-high 66 off 44 balls while Soumya hit a 32-ball 51 — the left-handed opener’s maiden T20 fifty — after the hosts elected to bat first.

Leg-spinning all-rounder Jeevan Mendis, with 2-21, stalled Bangladesh’s progress but Mushfiqur and stand-in captain Mahmudullah shared 73 runs for the fourth wicket to keep the side on track.

Scoreboard

BANGLADESH:

Zakir Hasan b Gunathilaka 10 Soumya Sarkar lbw J. Mendis 51 Mushfiqur Rahim not out 66 Afif Hossain c Dickwella b J. Mendis 0 Mahmudullah c Dananjaya b Udana 43 Sabbir Rahman b Perera 1 Ariful Haque not out 1 EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3 W-16, NB-1) 21 TOTAL (for five wkts, 20 overs) 193 FALL OF WKTS: 1-49, 2-100, 3-100, 4-173, 5-186. DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Saifuddin, Nazmul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain. BOWLING: Madushanka 3-0-39-0 (2w); Gunathilaka 2-0-16-1 (1w); Udana 4-0-45-1 (5w); Perera 4-0-36-1 (1nb, 2w); Dananjaya 4-0-32-0 (1w); J. Mendis 3-0-21-2.

SRI LANKA:

B.K.G. Mendis c Soumya b Afif 53 M.D. Gunathilaka st Mushfiqur b Nazmul 30 W.U. Tharanga c Afif b Nazmul 4 M.D. Shanaka not out 42 N. Dickwella c Saifuddin b Rubel 11 N.L.T.C. Perera Not Out 39 EXTRAS (LB-3, W-12) 15 TOTAL (for four wkts, 16.4 overs) 194 FALL OF WKTS: 1-53, 2-90, 3-92, 4-129. DID NOT BAT: L.D. Chandimal, B.M.A.J. Mendis, A. Dananjaya, I. Udana, D.S.K. Madushanka. BOWLING: Nazmul Islam 4-0-25-2 (1w); Mohammad Saifuddin 2-0-33-0 (1w); Mahmudullah 2-0-23-0 (1w); Rubel Hossain 3.4-0-52-1 (3w); Mustafizur Rahman 3-0-32-0 (1w); Afif Hossain 2-0-26-1 (1w). RESULT: Sri Lanka won by six wickets to lead two-match series 1-0. UMPIRES: Anisur Rahman (Bangladesh) and Sharfuddoula Saikat (Bangladesh). TV UMPIRE: Masudur Rahman (Bangladesh). MATCH REFEREE: D.C. Boon (Australia). MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kusal Mendis. SECOND MATCH: Sylhet, Sunday.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2018