Nissanka Century, Asalanka Fifty Power Sri Lanka to Series-Leveling Win Over Bangladesh

Sri Lanka bounced back from a precarious position to defeat Bangladesh by three wickets in the second ODI on Friday, leveling the three-match series 1-1.

Opener Pathum Nissanka anchored the chase with a brilliant 114, while Charith Asalanka provided crucial support with a well-made 91. Their record-breaking 185-run stand for the fourth wicket formed the backbone of Sri Lanka’s successful pursuit of a 287-run target.

Chasing a challenging total set by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka found themselves in early trouble after losing three wickets for just 43 runs. Shoriful Islam’s new-ball burst rattled the top order, dismissing Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama cheaply.

However, a composed partnership between Nissanka and Asalanka steered Sri Lanka back into contention. They batted sensibly, rotating the strike and picking their boundaries carefully. Nissanka brought up his fifty off 58 balls and continued to accelerate, reaching his sixth ODI century in style with a single off a short delivery.

Asalanka, too, played a vital role, reaching his fifty off just 50 balls with an attacking stroke – a slog-swept six over deep midwicket. Just when victory seemed assured for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh clawed their way back into the game with two crucial wickets in quick succession.

Shaky Start fo Sri Lanka but They Get it Done in the End 

Mehidy Hasan dismissed the well-set Nissanka for 114, while a successful review by Taskin Ahmed ended Asalanka’s innings at 91. Despite the setback, Sri Lanka remained composed. Wanindu Hasaranga’s quickfire 25 off 16 balls along with his earlier bowling spell of 4-45 ensured Bangladesh’s total wouldn’t be enough.

Earlier, Bangladesh posted a competitive 286 on the board, thanks largely to a fighting knock of 96 not out from Towhid Hridoy. Liton Das continued his poor run of form with a second consecutive duck, but Soumya Sarkar (68) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (40) provided some stability.

Hasaranga proved to be Bangladesh’s biggest hurdle, claiming four wickets and stifling their progress towards a 300-run mark. Despite Hridoy’s late flourish, his knock remained an isolated bright spot for Bangladesh as Sri Lanka secured a vital win.

The series now hangs in the balance with the deciding third ODI scheduled for Monday.