BAN vs SL, Asia Cup 2023 highlights: Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh by 5 wickets

A comfortable win in the end for Sri Lanka as they romp home by five wickets. Samarawickrama and Asalanka played a matured hand to take their team home after the early wickets. Shakib and Mahedi made it very difficult for the hosts to score, choking runs in the middle overs.

Earlier, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana took six wickets between them to restrict Bangladesh to 164, despite a good hand from Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Bangladesh review for an LBW after Shanaka walks across and misses his flick. Umpires call on hitting and Shanaka escapes. Four!! A swivel pull from Asalanka to the boundary does the job for Sri Lanka.

SL 164/5 in 39 overs

Six!! Slightly short from Mahedi, Asalanka rocks back and pulls it over midwicket for a huge six! Eight runs from the over.

Fifty for Asalanka! Important knock in the context of the game. Four!! Shanaka breaks the shackles, comes down the track and hits it right back over the bowler’s head for a boundary.

Miraz back into the attack. Reverse sweep from Shanaka, the fielder in the deep does well to put in a dive and prevent a boundary. Five runs from the over.

Mahedi with another tight over. Two runs from it.

Full and wide from Mahedi, Asalanka smashes it through the covers. The fielder does well to get around and stop it to two. Four runs from the over.

Four!! Fielder at mid-off was brought in and Asalanka times it perfectly to get it up and over and to the boundary for four.

Another tight over from the Bangladesh captain. Just two from it.

Asalanka tries to sweep and gets a top-edge but it falls safe and the batters scamper back for a couple. Wicket!! De Silva tries to come down the ground and yorks himself. Bangladesh not giving up yet.

Dhananjaya b Shakib 2(7)

Sri Lanka 128/5 in 31 overs

Wicket!! Finally a wicket for Bangladesh. Samarawickrama has to go. Tried to come down the track but is beaten, and the keeper does the rest.

Samarawickrama st Mushfiqur b Mahedi Hasan 54(77) [4s-6]

SL 123/4 in 30 overs

Maiden over from Shakib.

Another quick and tight Shakib over. Just a couple from it. Sri Lanka doing it calmly here.

Mahedi continues. Two singles and a double from his over.

Mahedi back into the attack. Another tight over. Just one run from it.

Maiden over from Shakib. Bangladesh need a breakthrough to have a chance in this match.

Fifty for Samarawickrama! A single to the sweeper on the off-side to reach the milestone. Very important innings from the middle order batter. Four!! Short and Asalanka pulls in front of square for another boundary.

Four!! Slightly short from Taskin and Samarawickrama pulls it through the leg side for four. Was a quiet over till now. Eight off the over.

Miraz to continue. Four!! Full outside off, Asalanka goes down on one knee and slog sweeps over midwicket for a boundary. 100 up for Sri Lanka

Just three runs from the Taskin over. Fifty partnership up between the two batters as Sri Lanka moves closer to the target.

Tight line and length from Fizz in this over. Asalanka not able to rotate strike. Just two runs from the over.

Four!! Short and wide, cut away easily by the batter through point for four. Samarawickrama looks in great touch. Will be looking to take his team over the line. Four!! Full on the stumps, driven to midwicket where the fielder and fumbles and gifts a boundary. 11 runs of the over.

Mustafizur into the attack. Bangladesh need to break this partnership soon. Four!! Down leg and clips the batters pads on the way to the boundary. Eight runs from the over.

Shakib runs through another tight over as Asalanka and Sadeera rotate strike with the odd single.

Mahedi drops short and Asalanka lunges forward for a sweep and sends the ball behind square-leg for FOUR. Mahedi sends one into the blockhole and Asalanka digs it out towards cover for a single.

Shakib slides the ball in and it lobs up to the keeper off Asalanka’s pad. Loud shout by Shakib for a caught-behind but the umpire is unmoved. Bangladesh opts for a review. No spikes on the UltraEdge and Asalanka survives. Shakib darts one in and beats Asalanka’s outside-edge.

Mahedi skims through another tight over. Asalanka picks up a couple of ones and twos. Four from the over as the players break for drinks.

Miraz continues. Samarawickrama important for Sri Lanka if it has to chase down this target. With two offies in play, he should be looking to save his wicket and take it long. Four runs from the over.

Mahedi Hasan into the attack. The namesakes operating in tandem. He’s keeping it full and straight on the stumps to Asalanka. Just one run from the over.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz into the attack. Samarawickrama comes down the track, the ball spins and goes to fine leg off the batter’s pads. Could have been stumped there had the ball gone to the keeper.

Shakib continues. Wicket!! Through the gate and bowled. Came back in with the left armers angle. Mendis completely foxed. Asalanka in at 5.

Kusal Mendis b Shakib 5(21) [4s-1]

SL 44/3 in 10 overs

First over for Mustafizur. Full and angling away from the batter, takes the outside edge of the bat. The point fielder does well to dive and make a stop. Four!! Slightly short on the stumps, Mendis picks it up over the leg side for a boundary.

Shakib into the attack. First sign of spin. Looks like the ball is turning ever so slightly. Just three runs from the over.

Mendis continuing to struggle to get off strike. He takes off after defending to the leg side. Has to put in a dive after being sent back. Looks like he’s in some pain. Physio attending to him. Chance!! Almost finds the midwicket fielder with a mistimed pull. Gets off the mark finally.

Shoriful to continue. Slightly shorter this over. Keeping it at the stumps. Four!! Full and wide, brilliantly driven through the off-side for a boundary.

Four!! Pitched up and Samarawickrama obliges with a beautiful cover drive. Four again!! Down leg this time and clipped fine for another boundary. Mendis struggling to get off strike.

Overpitched from Shoriful, Nissanka gets it in the gap between mid off and cover for a double. Wicket!! Slightly shorter and wider, Nissanka under edges it straight to the keeper. Bangladesh are pumped. Samarawickrama in at 4.

Nissanka c Mushfiqur b Shoriful Islam 14(13) [4s-1]

Another edge but it is in the gap this time. Samarawickrama gets off the mark.

SL 16/2 in 4 overs

Wicket!! Taskin lets out a roar. Karunaratne played across and his stumps are disturbed. Slight movement back in from the bowler. Bangladesh strike! Mendis in at 3.

Karunaratne b Taskin Ahmed 1(3)

Wicket maiden from Taskin.

SL 13/1 in 3 overs

Shoriful from the other end. Slightly short and defended by Karunaratne. Similar length, defended to fine leg for a single. Appeals for LBW but the umpire says no. Going down leg. Four!! Shoriful is short again and Nissanka pulls it through the legside for a boundary.

Taskin with the new ball. Nissanka and Karunaratne open for Sri Lanka. Slightly short on off-stump, defended to the off side. Short again and Nissanka pulls, enough on it to get it over the infield for a couple. Nissanka punches a slightly wide one over backward point for another couple.

Bangladesh bowled out for 164 in the first Group B encounter against Sri Lanka. Pathirana picked up four, including the prized scalps of Shakib and Mushfiqur to put Sri Lanka in control of this game.

Najmul Hossain Shanto waged a slow, lone battle as he scored 89 before being dismissed by Theekshana. Should be a comfortable chase for the hosts. Join us in a while for the chase.

Wicket!! Pathirana gets his third. Taskin unable to pick the slower ball and offers a dolly to short cover.

Taskin Ahmed c Theekshana b Pathirana 0(2)

Wicket!! Mustafizur is given out LBW. Full slower ball doing the trick. Pathirana gets his fourth wicket. Fizz takes a review but it is three reds.

Mustafizur lbw b Pathirana 0(2)

BAN 164 all out in 42.4 overs

Wicket!! No hundred for Shanto! Plays down the wrong line and is castled. Beautiful ball by Theekshana. Shoriful and Taskin at the crease. Just a single off the over.

Shanto b Theekshana 89(122) [4s-7]

BAN 163/8 in 42 overs

Wicket!! Bangladesh review the LBW. Mahedi trapped in front by Wellalage as he looked to press forward and defend. Umpire’s call on wickets and Mahedi departs.

Mahedi Hasan lbw b Wellalage 6(16)

BAN 162/7 in 41 overs.

Chance!! Theekshana completely foxes Mahedi but Kushal Mendis misses the stumping. He gets back in before his second attempt at the stumping.

Just the three singles from the over.

De Silva continues. Just three runs from the over.

Chance!! Mahedi gets a leading edge but it goes past the bowler and falls safe. Nine runs of the over due to the wides.

Wicket!! Both batters at the same end and Shanto has to go! Oh Mehidy didn’t get back in his crease after the shot, Shanto crossed him and made his ground at the strikers end, so Mehidy will be the one making way. Mahedi replaces Mehidy.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz run out (Dhananjaya/Rajitha) 5(11)

Four!! Short and Shanto pulls it to the leg side for a boundary. He holds the key for Bangladesh getting to a respectable score.

BAN 145/6 in 37 overs

Four!! First boundary in eight overs as Shanto drives De Silva past mid on to the boundary. Quiet over apart from the boundary.

Rajitha into the attack. Slightly short on the body, Shanto swivel-pulls to fine leg for a single. Mehidy looks to punch one through the covers, well fielded by the close-in fielder. Four from the over.

De Silva back into the attack. Just the four singles from the over. Bangladesh in no mood to increase the run rate it looks like.

Wicket!! Pathirana gets the experienced Mushfiqur. Tried to upper-cut a short ball, hits it straight to the man at third man. Mehidy in at 7.

Mushfiqur c Karunaratne b Pathirana 13(22) [4s-1]

BAN 127/5 in 33 overs

Theekshana continues. Boundaries have dried up for Bangladesh. Mushfiqur’s entrance had given some impetus but the rate has dropped a lot since. Single off the last ball of the over.

Pathirana continues. Shanaka appealing for caught behind. Umpire is unmoved. SL has no reviews as well. Replays suggest there was a slight nick. Chance!! Shanto mistimes the pull, goes just above the short mid wicket fielder.

Theekshana continues. Close!! Shanto looks to paddle, takes the edge and missed the stumps by a whisker. Just four runs from the over.

Pathirana into the attack. Keeping it on a length this over, not allowing the batters to play freely. Just two from the over.

Theekshana back into the attack. Shanto looking for the reverse sweep, takes the edge and goes close to the stumps. Would have been out if the keeper pouched it, but a difficult chance. Appeal for LBW, not given, was probably going down leg.

Wellalage again. Four! Too full and Mushfiqur reverse sweeps it past slip for a boundary. Four!! Slightly short and Shanto looks to pull, was very close to the midwicket fielder but manages to get it to the boundary. Expensive over from Wellalage.

Shanaka again. Direct hit at the bowlers end after a throw from mid-on but the batter was in. Good running that. 100 up for Bangladesh. Slight misunderstanding between the batters but the throw is wayward. No damage caused. Five from the over.

Wellalage into the attack. Shanto looks to turn it to the leg side and is trapped in front. Another review from Shanaka. Wickets missing! Shanto survives. SL loses all its reviews. Just two from the over.

Shanaka continues. Full and wide outside-off, defended to backward point. Four!! Slightly wide again, Shanto drives it through point for a boundary. A boundary after a long passage of play. Hridoy is trapped in front. Umpire says no. Shanaka reviews

Ball tracking shows three reds and Hridoy has to go!

Towhid Hridoy lbw b Shanaka 20(41)

BAN 95/4 in 24 overs

Wellalage continues. He’s kept it tight and not given any chances to score boundaries. Hridoy has scored only 18 in 39 balls. Needs a move on.

Shanak into the attack. Back of a length on off-stump, defended to backward point. On the stumps, defended to mid wicket for a single. Four from the over.

De Silva with his seventh over. Five singles off the over. Quiet phase of play from Bangladesh.

Wellalage with his third. Four singles from the over.

De Silva continues his spell. Just a single off the over.

Wellalage continues from the other end. Just a single of the 19th as well.

Wellalage into the attack. Single to long on off the first ball. Covers coming in and the players are making their way off the field. Play continues after a short rain delay.

Four runs from the over.

De Silva continues. Just a couple from the over. The groundstaff are making their way to the covers. The players take drinks for now. Rain might be just round the corner.

Credit - Dhruva Prasad from Kandy

Pathirana with his third over. Yorker on the stumps, batter jams the bat down and gets a single. Four!! Short and pulled towards fine leg for a boundary. Excellent shot from Shanto. Seven from the over.

De Silva continues. Five singles from the over. Dhananjaya almost got his hands to the last ball. But a little too high.

Pathirana with his second. Yorker outside off stump, inside edged to fine leg for a single. Four!! Pathirana goes short and Shanto pulls it into the gap at midwicket for a boundary. Eight runs from the over. Fifty up for Bangladesh.

De Silva to continue. Leg slip in place to the new batter. Full and driven to long on for a single. Shanto paddles one to fine leg for a quick double. Five from the over.

Pathirana into the attack. Very wide outside off stump. Keeping it full and outside off-stump to the left handers. Edged!! Umpires checking for a fair catch. Its the big fish, Shakib who tried to slash at one and finds the edge. Catch looks okay. Shakib has to go. Hridoy in at 5.

Shakib c Kusal Mendis b Pathirana 5(11) [4s-1]

BAN 37/3 in 11 overs

De Silva continues. Shanto is hit on the pads first ball, going down leg. Play and a miss outside off stump, very close to the inside edge. Three from the over.

Rajitha with his fifth over. Starts off with a wide. Four!! Full and wide, Shakib leans forward and drives it through the covers for a boundary. Six from the over.

Dhananjaya De Silva into the attack. Full and straight from the offie, driven to long-off for a single. Wicket!! Naim looks to to come down the track and go big, edges it to fine leg. Two fielders going for the same catch but no damage done. Shakib at 4.

Naim c Nissanka b Dhananjaya 16(23) [4s-3]

BAN 25/2 in 8 overs

Rajitha with his fourth over on the trot. No real swing so he has switched to bowling back of a length angling into the left hander. Four!! Slightly full and wide, driven through the covers for a boundary. Five from the over.

Theekshana with his third over. Excellent lines from the spinner, spinning it both ways coming round the wicket. Four! Slightly over-pitched and Shanto sweeps it to the leg side for a boundary. Six from the over.

Rajitha again. Chance at mid on!! Shanto looks to drive a fuller one, hits it straight to mid-on but the fielder can’t hold on. Was the captain himself who dropped it. A quick single to mid off in the last ball.

Back-of-a-length from Theekshana, inside edged wide of short fine leg for a single by Shanto. Full, straight and driven to long off for a single. Last ball pulled to deep mid wicket, three from the over.

Rajitha continues. Slightly short and angling into the left hander, hits him on the body. Fuller outside off, driven beautifully but straight at the mid-off fielder. Four!! Full again, driven down the ground for a boundary.

Spin from the other end. Theekshana in. Wicket!! Hasan is dismissed for a duck on debut. Had no clue about that one and is struck in front of the stumps. Shanto in at 3.

Tanzid Hasan lbw b Theekshana 0(2)

Theekshana almost trips trying to stop the ball with his ankle. Another injury is the last thing Sri Lanka want.

Another appeal for LBW. Not given. Shanaka goes for the review. Pitching outside leg and SL lose its review.

BAN 4/1 in 2 overs

Mohammad Naim and debutant Tanzid Hasan open for Bangladesh. Rajitha with the new ball. Four!! First runs through a boundary. Over-pitched and driven through the covers for four.

Credit - Getty Images

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha

Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam

Bangladesh wins the toss and Shakib choses to bat first

Shakib: “Dry wicket, hope to put runs on the board. We have to be at our best because Sri Lanka are very good especially at home. Three spinners and three seamers.”

Shanaka: It is a good toss to lose with rain around the corner. Our main players are injured but we have all areas covered. Six batters, two allrounders, and three bowlers. Pathirana and Wellalage is playing.”

Marvan Atapattu calling it a batting paradise. He says the ball might spin in the first innings, but not as much in the second. Teams will look to bat second he reckons.

Credit - X @BCBtigers

Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanaka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis (vc), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan

Shakib Al Hasan (c), Anamul Haque Bijoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Naim Sheikh, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

What time will the BAN vs SL Asia Cup match start?

The Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match in the Asia Cup will start at 3:00 PM IST on Thursday, August 31.

Where can I watch the BAN vs SL match today?

The Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka match will be telecast live on the Star Sports network and will be streamed live on the Disney+ Hotstar app.

While rain clouds hang heavy over the much-anticipated India versus Pakistan match on Saturday, another intense rivalry, set to unfold at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, shows that the winds of change are blowing.

Signalling a multipolar cricketing world order, the Asia Cup is set to add another chapter to an increasingly storied tussle between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Taking a cue from the platitudes that typically precede a slugfest, captains Dasun Shanaka and Shakib Al Hasan sought to downplay the non-cricketing excitement surrounding the event.

“I don’t think it’s a rivalry, it’s just that we play very good cricket whenever these two countries meet. It’s good for the crowd and the broadcasters,” Shakib said on the eve of the match.

“It’s the noise outside. Between the players, the relations are good. We have a good brotherhood,” Shanaka chimed in.

- Dhruva Prasad

Real full preview here - Bangladesh faces Sri Lanka challenge in Pallekele; Shakib, Shanaka downplay rivalry

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live updates from the 2023 Asia Cup Group B encounter between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Pallekele. Stay Tuned for all match updates, toss and live action.