Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka win thriller against Bangladesh to qualify for Super Four

WHAT A GAME!!

A humdinger which ebbed and flowed with both teams throwing punches at each other.

But at last, it was Sri Lanka who join Afghanistan & India in the Super Four.

A game of fluctuating fortunes, it was Bangladesh’s 8 wides and 4 no-balls that will haunt them for days to come.

Chasing a 184-run target, Sri Lanka were off to a steady start with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis stitching a 45-run stand. But four wickets in the space of 32 runs threatened to derail their innings.

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But Kusal Mendis along with captain Dasun Shanaka stitched a counter-attacking 54-run stand to raise Sri Lanka’s hopes. Kusal Mendis’ departure for a 37-ball 60, though, opened doors for Bangladesh, and while Shanaka tried to steer the Lankan ship with a few boundaries, he too perished for 45.

Sri Lanka’s lower-order though was in no mood to give up. It was Karunaratne’s cameo and two brilliant boundaries in the final overs by debutant Asitha Fernando that gave them a 2-wicket win.

Earlier, having lost the toss, Bangladesh threw caution to the wind in a do-or-die game and sent Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open the innings.

The move did garner fruits for the Tigers as he sent Sri Lankan bowlers for a leather hunt in the powerplay. But after his dismissal, Sri Lanka stemmed the run-flow in the middle overs.

With Shakib Al Hasan struggling to score big runs, Afif Hossain took the game by the scruff of the neck, slamming a 22-ball 39 to put Bangladesh's innings back on track.

Mossadek Hossain then provided the finishing touches with a fantastic cameo, a 9-ball 24* that took Bangladesh past the 180-run mark. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough!