Najmul, Rahim and bowlers help Bangladesh take 1-0 lead


TOUR TO SRI LANKA TO BANGLADESH, 2024

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim posted an unbroken streak of 165 runs

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim posted an unbroken streak of 165 runs © AFP

After losing the T20I series, Bangladesh got off to a good start in the ODI series by winning the opening match in Chattogram by a comfortable margin.

Their all-round show was first put on by the bowlers who restricted Sri Lanka to just 255 before an unbeaten hundred from skipper Najmul Hossain took them home with 32 balls to spare.

With the arrival of dew, the chase was relatively easier but Bangladesh made good use of it with Shanto partnering Mushfiqur Rahim in an unbeaten 165-run stand in the chase for the fifth wicket. The partnership was all the more important as Bangladesh had been reduced to 23/3 at one point before the rebuild.

Shanto played his part in a vital 59-run stand with Mahmudullah, who hit a run-a-ball 37, to steady the ship before joining forces with Rahim, with the Sri Lankan bowlers finding things difficult as the dew was settling in.

But before that, Bangladesh had to thank its leaders. Having been invited to bowl, the initial momentum was against them. Sri Lanka’s first over started well with 71 runs before Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck twice in quick succession to get rid of both.

Once the well-established pair were dismissed, the visitors stuttered briefly before a 69-run stand between Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage saved them. Both batters failed to continue after reaching fifty, which allowed Bangladesh to recover late in the match. Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed struck at regular intervals to clean up the lower order as Sri Lanka lost their last five runs by just 34 runs.

The target ultimately proved easier once conditions became more favorable during the pursuit.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 255 all out (Janith Liyanage 67, Kusal Mendis 59; Tanzim Hasan 3-44) lost to Bangladesh 257/4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 122, Mushfiqur Rahim 73) by 6 wickets.

© cricbuzz

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