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.
