2024-03-06 01:21:14
All the light was on him. 56 thousand square miles were waiting to be awakened. Just matching the two boundaries could give the equation. Zaker Ali, who was batting at a strike rate of 200, hit 6 sixes earlier and gave the Sri Lankan bowlers a hard time. Now it’s just time to anchor in the harbor. But he could not come to the shore. Despite playing an explosive innings of 68 runs off 34 balls, Zaker could not win Bangladesh by 3 runs. It broke Bangladesh’s heart once again at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
After winning the toss and sending Sri Lanka into bat, new captain Nazmul Hossain Shanta had only dew in his mind. There is great doubt as to whether the opponent’s long batting line-up was spent. If it happened then do not take the risk! Because in the first T20 in Sylhet, Sri Lanka got the opportunity to bat first and took a huge capital of 206 runs. Where in the beginning the match kept itself under control. But in the end, the hosts were blown away by the opponent’s storm.
Sri Lanka has the experience of making 210 on this ground in 2018. After six years, Singh’s team scored the second highest run at this ground. Bangladesh did not win that match either. The result did not change in this match.
He could not win the match despite keeping his nerve in the last thrill to reply. Scored 203 runs for 8 wickets. Despite the last resistance, the match was lost by 3 runs. Bangladesh lost the three-match T20 series by 1-0.
Bangladesh needed 12 runs off the last 6 balls. Having scored 71 runs in the previous 5 overs, the match was in the hands of Bangladesh. But with no boundaries coming from the first two balls, the equation becomes difficult. Rishad was out on the first ball. Taskin gets 1 run off the second ball. There was also a wide in between. In that Zaker got 10 runs off 4 balls. But Sri Lanka wrote the fate of the match with the third ball. Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka caught the ball despite Shanaka’s flight from Zak. New batsman Shariful hit four in the next ball but Shariful and Taskin could only take two runs in the last two balls. This fight ends with a sky high.
Sri Lanka’s late storm and opening bowling oozed excitement in the match. Sri Lanka were 79 for 2 in 10 overs. The run peaked in the next 10 overs. The visitors added 127 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. The bowlers have digested boundary-over boundary in every over with random bowling and relentless attack. On the other hand, the two Sri Lankan batsmen Samarawickrama and Asalanka were excellent. Sri Lanka scored 73 runs in just 33 balls in the fourth wicket partnership of the two.
Samaravikrama remained unbeaten on 61 runs off 48 balls. Hit 1 six with 8 fours. And Asalanka snatched the match from Bangladesh. He hit 6 sixes off 21 balls and scored 44 runs. Kusal Mendis built their large capital base. He scored 59 runs off 36 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Shariful’s 13th over and Mustafiz’s last over of the innings was the most expensive. Shariful scored 21 runs with one six and three fours. Mostafiz scored 24 runs with two fours and a six.
The opening batsmen were also a mess after the bowlers’ haphazard bowling at the end. Lytton caught Mathews behind the wicket on the first ball without adding any runs to the scoreboard. Soumya returned to the dressing room after scoring 12 runs in 2 boundaries off 11 balls. Tawheed Hriday hit a six off the first ball of the wicket. Mathews stopped for 8 while playing the same shot. Shant couldn’t even make the innings bigger. Scoring 20 off 22 balls, Pathirana’s short ball was caught at mid-wicket.
Mahmudullah Riyad stood as a wall in this procession of batsmen and scored runs in every attack. To come back and bat with confidence after a long time is like getting praise. Zaker Ali gave him great company. Bangladesh returned to the match with a great pair of both. Mahmudullah added 4 runs after reaching his 27-ball fifty but Zaker continued to bat. Mahmudullah scored 54 runs off 31 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes.
Zaker got a free license after scoring a six. He was scoring runs by playing shots around the wicket without paying attention to any bowler. First fifty off 25 balls with 1 four and 6 sixes. It did not stop there. He added 18 more runs off the next 9 balls to bring the match within reach.
Bangladesh needed 10 runs from 4 balls when Zaker got a strike in the last over. But Zaker could not match the timing of Shanaka’s cross seam full delivery. Caught at long off by the captain. Asalanka came back to confirm the team’s victory with the ball. Besides being the hero of the team with the bat and taking 3 catches, he also became the man of the match.