Bangladesh began the day on a wrong note as Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of their opening World Cup warm-up fixture with a foot injury. But they ended it with smiles on their faces as they registered a morale-boosting seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Guwahati. Bangladesh chased down the target of 264 in just 42 overs.
In good conditions for batting, Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das provided Bangladesh with the perfect start, adding 131 in just 20.4 overs. Litton, who hasn’t been among the runs in the recent past, essayed some delightful flicks. Meanwhile, Tanzid employed the pull to good effect.
Ultimately, Litton was dismissed by Dushan Hemantha, with Matheesha Pathirana pouching the catch behind square on the on-side. Tanzid and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (67 not out) then shared a stand of 52 for the second wicket. At 183 for 1, Bangladesh did suffer a mini collapse, as Lahiru Kumara and Dunith Wellalage combined to send Tanzid and Towhid Hridoy back to the hut.
Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, that turned out to be the last breakthrough for the day. The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy combined to put on an unbroken alliance of 76 for the fourth wicket. The highlight of that partnership was Rahim essaying a couple of sumptuous lofted drives. Mehidy, the stand-in captain, also played his part by using the depth of the crease to rattle the Sri Lankan spinners.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had looked all set to cross the 300-run mark. However, once Kusal Mendis fell to Nasum Ahmed in the 15th over, they lost wickets at regular intervals. Pathum Nissanka cracked a 64-ball 68 while Dhananjaya de Silva scored 55, but neither of them could convert those starts into hundreds. On the other hand, Mahedi Hasan bagged a three-wicket haul for Bangladesh. Tanzim Hasan, Mehidy, Shoriful Islam and Nasum all took one wicket each.
It is true that it was just a practice game, but Sri Lanka’s performance was lacklustre. Kusal Perera suffering a shoulder injury and retiring hurt on 34 only compounded their woes.