Lankans End DOI Drought, Level Series

• • Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh Third ODI
  

  Lankans celebrate Shakib’s dismissal

  Sri Lanka rode a fast start and a fast finish to a competitive score, bowled with discipline, and found some spirit in the field to defeat Bangladesh by 70 runs and snap a six-match losing streak that stretched back to January.

  Perhaps encouragingly for the hosts, the architects of the victory were many. Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka cracked 76 runs in the Powerplay, Kusal Mendis contributed a half-century, Thisara Perera produced a finishing salvo, and virtually all the frontline bowlers delivered good spells – though Nuwan Kulasekara was the best among them, claiming 4 for 37.

  Bangladesh, meanwhile, will rue the batting collapse that cost them a series victory. Sri Lanka’s 280 was competitive, but achievable, on a surface that remained good enough to allow No. 8 Mehedi Hasan hit a maiden ODI fifty. However, the match had slipped from them long before Mehedi came to the crease. Three batsmen were out inside four overs, and though Soumya Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan staged a 77-run recovery, the middle order collapsed after that partnership was broken. At 11 for 3 it seemed unlikely they could hunt down the target, but at 127 for 7, the match was effectively sealed.

  The result saw the teams share the ODI series 1-1, just as they had shared the Tests. Two T20s are scheduled for next week.

  Kulasekara, who was added to the squad only after the series had begun, relied more on tight lines and intelligent bowling than his characteristic inswing to make incisions. He should have had Tamim Iqbal off the fourth ball of the innings, when an edge flew at a catchable height between keeper and slip – neither of whom attempted the catch. At times over the past few months, missed chances such as this have hurt Sri Lanka, but not today: Tamim sent Kulasekara a return catch two balls later.

  Sabbir Rahman’s dismissal in Kulasekara’s next over perhaps had more to do with the batsman’s loose shot, than good bowling – Rahman nicking a very wide ball through to the keeper. Kulasekara came back later to mop up the innings – dismissing Mehedi and Taskin Ahmed. These were his best ODI figures since November 2013.

  Bangladesh’s middle-overs capitulation – in which they lost four wickets for 39 runs – was largely the work of Sri Lanka’s spinners. Dilruwan Perera recovered from a 20-run first over to have Soumya stumped, then had Shakib caught at short cover a few overs later. Seekkuge Prasanna also bowled Mosaddek Hossain and Suranga Lakmal had Mahmudullah caught behind during this period.