A Clash of Titans Where Sri Lanka Emerges Victorious in a Last-Ball Thriller
Cricket, in its purest form, is a narrative of passion, skill, and nerve-shredding tension. Few rivalries encapsulate this spirit as vibrantly as the contests between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It’s a clash that has evolved from predictable dominance into one of the most unpredictable and fiercely contested fixtures in the modern cricket calendar
a match that ebbed and flowed like the Indian Ocean until the very last ball, leaving fans from both nations breathless and encapsulating the very essence of the sport’s drama.
The Stage is Set: An Asia Cup Super Four Showdown
The context added layers of intensity to this encounter. This was not a mere bilateral series match; it was a crucial Super Four stage fixture in the prestigious Asia Cup. A win here would be a giant stride towards the final, while a loss would leave a team’s campaign hanging by a thread. The Premadasa, a cauldron of noise known for its electric atmosphere, was a sea of flags – the maroon and gold of Bangladesh waving defiantly alongside the lion-emblazoned yellow and blue of Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh – Asia Cup Super Four Match Scorecar
Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Date: September 15, 2023
Toss: Sri Lanka, elected to field
Result: Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
Bangladesh Innings: 265/8 (50.0 Overs)
| Litton Das | c Mendis b Pathirana | 52 | 61 | 6 | 1 | 85.24 |
| Mohammad Naim | lbw b Theekshana | 21 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 65.62 |
| Towhid Hridoy | c & b Hasaranga | 82 | 97 | 7 | 2 | 84.53 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (c) | c sub (DDS) b Madushan | 33 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 71.73 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) | c Shanaka b Madushan | 29 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 76.31 |
| Mahmudullah | c sub (DDS) b Pathirana | 15 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | b Pathirana | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 120.00 |
| Nasum Ahmed | not out | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Taskin Ahmed | run out (Asalanka) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Extras | 11 | |||||
| (lb 5, w 6) | ||||||
| TOTAL | 265/8 | 50.0 ov |
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Did Not Bat: Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam
Fall of Wickets: 1-42 (Naim, 9.2 ov), 2-108 (Litton, 22.1 ov), 3-172 (Shakib, 35.4 ov), 4-218 (Hridoy, 42.3 ov), 5-233 (Mushfiqur, 45.1 ov), 6-252 (Mahmudullah, 47.6 ov), 7-255 (Mehidy, 48.4 ov), 8-265 (Taskin, 49.6 ov)
| D Madushan | 10 | 0 | 58 | 2 | 5.80 | 2 | 0 |
| M Theekshana | 10 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 4.40 | 1 | 0 |
| D Chameera | 8 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 6.37 | 2 | 0 |
| W Hasaranga | 10 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 4.70 | 1 | 0 |
| M Pathirana | 10 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 6.00 | 0 | 0 |
| D Shanaka | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5.00 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka Innings: 266/6 (50.0 Overs)
| Pathum Nissanka | c Miraz b Taskin | 35 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Dimuth Karunaratne | b Shakib | 47 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 81.03 |
| Kusal Mendis (wk) | c Mushfiqur b Mustafizur | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Litton b Shakib | 38 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 77.55 |
| Charith Asalanka | c sub (Mahedi) b Taskin | 62 | 72 | 4 | 1 | 86.11 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | c Mahmudullah b Mustafizur | 24 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 85.71 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | not out | 25 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 138.88 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | not out | 12 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Extras | 13 | |||||
| (b 1, lb 2, w 10) | ||||||
| TOTAL | 266/6 | 50.0 ov |
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Did Not Bat: Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana
Fall of Wickets: 1-72 (Nissanka, 13.5 ov), 2-91 (Mendis, 18.2 ov), 3-110 (Karunaratne, 23.1 ov), 4-178 (Samarawickrama, 36.5 ov), 5-220 (Shanaka, 44.2 ov), 6-241 (Asalanka, 47.1 ov)
| Taskin Ahmed | 10 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 5.20 | 3 | 0 |
| Shoriful Islam | 9 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 6.11 | 2 | 0 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 10 | 0 | 59 | 2 | 5.90 | 1 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 10 | 0 | 44 | 2 | 4.40 | 1 | 0 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 7 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 4.57 | 3 | 0 |
| Nasum Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 5.25 | 0 | 0 |
Player of the Match: Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) – 62 runs (72 balls)
A Narrative in Two Acts: Dissecting the Epic Contest
Act I: Bangladesh Builds a Competitive Fortress
Bangladesh’s innings was a tale of consolidation and one magnificent individual effort. The early loss of Mohammad Naim to Maheesh Theekshana’s spin brought the ever-reliable Litton Das to the crease. In partnership with the young prodigy Towhid Hridoy, he stabilized the innings. Litton played with characteristic flair, reaching a well-compiled half-century before falling to the raw pace of Matheesha Pathirana.
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This brought the experienced duo of Shakib Al Hasan and the set Hridoy together. They navigated the middle overs shrewdly, milking the bowling and punishing the loose deliveries. Hridoy was the standout, playing a mature and calculated innings. His 82 was the backbone of the Bangladeshi total, a mix of elegant drives and powerful sweeps against the spinners. Just as Bangladesh seemed poised for a final assault in the last ten overs, the Sri Lankan bowlers, particularly the death-bowling excellence of Pathirana (3/60) and the crucial interventions of Madushan, pulled things back brilliantly. Wickets fell at regular intervals, disrupting the rhythm and restricting Bangladesh to a competitive, yet seemingly par, total of 265.
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Act II: The Sri Lankan Chase – A Rollercoaster of Emotions
The Sri Lankan reply began confidently. The opening pair of Nissanka and Karunaratne put on 72 runs, seemingly setting a perfect platform. However, the introduction of Bangladesh’s spin wizard, Shakib Al Hasan, turned the tide. He removed both set batters and the dangerous Kusal Mendis in quick succession, applying immense pressure. At 110/3 in the 24th over, the game was beautifully poised.
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The responsibility fell on the shoulders of Sadeera Samarawickrama and the left-handed Charith Asalanka. They rebuilt the innings with a mixture of caution and intent, adding a crucial 68-run partnership. When Sadeera fell, skipper Dasun Shanaka joined Asalanka. The equation tightened. The required run rate crept above 7. Shanaka’s cameo of 24 off 28 balls, including a huge six, kept Sri Lanka in the hunt.
The drama reached its peak in the final five overs. Asalanka, now the undisputed protagonist, brought up a magnificent, pressure-filled fifty. His dismissal in the 48th over, with 25 still needed off 14 balls, swung the momentum back towards Bangladesh. The Premadasa fell into a nervous hush.
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The Final Over: A Symphony of Pressure
The task was 15 runs from the final over, to be bowled by the experienced Mustafizur Rahman. Wanindu Hasaranga, known for his explosive batting, was on strike.
- Ball 1: A perfectly executed yorker on leg stump. Hasaranga digs it out. Just a single. 14 off 5. Advantage Bangladesh.
- Ball 2: Dhananjaya de Silva, the cool head, gets a low full toss. He squeezes it through the covers for a boundary! The crowd erupts. 10 needed off 4.
- Ball 3: Another superb yorker. De Silva can only push it back to the bowler. No run. The pressure is immense. 10 off 3.
- Ball 4: A slower ball outside off. Hasaranga clears his front leg and with a mighty heave, sends it soaring over wide long-on for a colossal six! The stadium is in bedlam. 4 needed off 2.
- Ball 5: Mustafizur goes for the yorker again but it’s a fraction short. Hasaranga smashes it straight to deep midwicket. The fielder gathers cleanly. They run one, and dash back for a desperate second. A direct hit would have been out, but Hasaranga makes his ground. 2 needed off 1 ball.
- sri-lanka-national-cricket-team-vs-bangladesh 2025
- Ball 6: The entire match, the campaign, comes down to this. Mustafizur runs in. The field is in. He bowls a low full toss on middle stump. Hasaranga swings hard, doesn’t get all of it, but the ball squirts away behind square on the leg side. The batters sprint. The fielder charges in, picks up, and throws to the keeper’s end, but Hasaranga has dived full length. The umpire’s finger remains down. He’s in! Sri Lanka wins by 4 wickets on the very last ball!
Conclusion: More Than Just a Game
This match was a microcosm of everything that makes modern ODI cricket captivating. It had superb individual performances: Towhid Hridoy’s classy 82, Charith Asalanka’s match-defining 62 under pressure, and Wanindu Hasaranga’s nerveless cameo. It had tactical battles between bat and ball, ebbs and flows of momentum, and an finish that will be replayed and remembered for years to come.
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For Bangladesh, it was a heartbreak of the finest margins, a testament to their fighting spirit that has made them a force no team can take lightly. For Sri Lanka, it was a victory that showcased their resilience, their famous “never say die” attitude, and their ability to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was more than just two points; it was a statement. In the great Emerald Derby, on this night, the Lions of Sri Lanka had roared the loudest, but the Tigers of Bangladesh had fought with a valor that earned them immense respect. Cricket was the ultimate winner.
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