Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their Asia Cup 2025 campaign opener
Charith Asalanka praised googly of spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who returned figures of 2/25
Bangladesh left with mountain to climb in terms of run rate
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said the first two overs bowled by his seamers Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera set the tone for their Asia Cup T20 win over Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (September 13, 2025).
Thushara and Chameera delivered back-to-back maiden overs, sending the Bangladesh openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon back to the dressing room for ducks in the process. Bangladesh could not recover from the twin loss and only managed an underwhelming 139/5, which was chased down by Sri Lanka in 14.4 overs for the loss of four wickets.
"The first two overs were a key moment for us, set the platform. It was a dream start," said Asalanka at the post-match presentation. He also praised the googly of spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who returned the best figures of 2/25 for his side. "That is his main weapon, even we can't pick him. He's a superstar."
The six-wicket win gave a huge boost to Sri Lanka's net run rate and Asalanka said it was a great team effort. "Once we got 115-120 , we wanted to finish the game as soon as possible. It's absolutely brilliant support from the fans, Bangladesh fans as well," he said.
What Player Of the Match Kamil Mishara Said
Player of the Match Kamil Mishara, who hit an unbeaten 46 off 32 for Sri Lanka and shared a 95-run stand with Pathum Nissanka, said, "Pathum just asked me to play my normal game, and to take my time. I'm very happy to win a game for my country again."
Bangladesh Captain Litton Das' Reaction
Agreeing with Asalanka's assessment, losing skipper Litton Das said his team lost the game in the powerplay itself where they could score just 30 runs in six overs and lost three wickets in the bargain. "I thought in the powerplay we lost the game. The wicket was a very good one to bat on. If you score 140 on a good wicket, you have to bowl and field well, which we didn't do," he added.
The margin of defeat left Bangladesh with a mountain to climb in terms of net run rate. They have to defeat Afghanistan by a huge margin to survive in the tournament. "It's a do or die . Thanks to our supporters, I wish they will come again," Das said.
(With PTI inputs)
