Bangladesh got the better of Sri Lanka for the first time in ODI World Cup history to clinch their second win of the ongoing World Cup while playing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, November 6. Bangladesh clinched the cliffhanger by three wickets to boost their chances of finishing in the top seven on the World Cup 2023 points table and thereby earning qualification for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 slated to be played in Pakistan.
Chasing a stiff target of 280 to claim victory, Bangladesh lost both their openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das inside the first seven overs and were under the pump with just 41 on the board. However, a remarkable 169-run stand for the third wicket between Shakib Al Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto lifted the team out of the precarious situation.
Both Shakib and Shanto were on their way to scoring match-winning tons but Sri Lanka came roaring back into the contest by virtue of Angelo Mathews' double strike. Mathews got rid of Shakib Al Hasan on the first ball of the 32nd over as the latter closed the face of his bat early while playing a flick.
The ball ballooned in the air and was safely held by Charith Asalanka, fielding at mid-off. Shakib's well-made 82 off just 65 balls came at a strike rate of 126.15 and helped Bangladesh stay ahead of the asking rate during the major part of the chase.
Shanto also fell two overs later as he chopped one onto his stumps and was denied a century by Mathews. Shanto's wicket reduced Bangladesh to 211/4 in 33.2 overs but with just 69 runs more to get to claim the contest and six wickets in hand it looked like they would cruise to the target but it wasn't to be.
Spirited Sri Lankans kept coming back into the contest as they dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan. Ultimately, the partnership between Shanto and Shakib turned out to be the decisive factor as Bangladesh eliminated Sri Lanka from the ongoing showpiece event and clinched the contest on the first ball of the 42nd over.
Earlier, it was Sri Lanka who were asked to bat first after Shakib called it right at the toss. Several Sri Lankan batters like Pathum Nissanka (41 off 36 balls), Sadeera Samarawickrama (41 off 42), and Dhananjaya de Silva (34 off 36 balls) among others got off to promising starts but barring Charith Asalanka (108 off 105 balls) none of the other managed to convert it into a big one.
It was Asalanka's century that helped the Kusal Mendis-led side reach 279 and challenge the Bangladeshi batting order. Notably, the match also witnessed the first-ever incident of a player getting timed out in international cricket as Mathews ran out of luck and had to trudge back to the dressing room as Bangladesh skipper Shakib didn't withdraw his appeal.
