2018 Asia Cup: Mushfiqur Rahim's Ton Overshadows Lasith Malinga Comeback, Bangladesh Beat Sri Lanka By 137 Runs In Opener

Bangladesh showed why they are currently one of the most dangerous sides in white-ball cricket by mauling five-time champions Sri Lanka in the 2018 Asia Cup opener at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Saturday. It was such a dominant performance from the Bangla Tigers, except for the first over of the match, that it would be an insult to their fans to call the result a shock win.

Intriguing Start And Rahim Hundred

Bangladesh's 137-run win over the five-time champions Sri Lanka was antithetical to the intriguing start to the match, which witnessed a player getting injured and a veteran bowler showing his masterclass. Bangladesh found themselves two down in the first over itself with Lankan legend Lasith Malinga removing both Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan of successive deliveries, off the fifth and sixth balls.

Tamim Iqbal too left the field of play after being hit a Suranga Lakmal nasty bouncer in the next over. Bangladesh were effectively three down for just three runs. At that moment, Bangla captain Mashrafe Mortaza's decision to bat first seemed to have backfired, big time.

But that's only two overs' play from possible 100. Mushfiqur Rahim (144) played a gem of an innings to resurrect the innings. And together with Mohammad Mithun (63). he posted 131 runs for the third wicket. But their effort was somehow overshadowed by Iqbal's bravery.

The opener returned towards the end of the innings and batted with one hand. It reminded of former South Africa captain Graeme Smith's valiant batting against Australia in the 2009 Sydney Test match. The difference was, Iqbal ended up helping his team win while Smith suffered a heart-breaking defeat,  by 102 runs.

Iqbal stitched a 32-run last-wicket stand with Rahim, and that partnership helped Bangladesh go past the 250-run mark. It probably flattened the Lankan spirits.

Rahim, who was dropped twice in the 10th and 37th overs, went on to post the highest score by a wicket-keeper in the Asia Cup. He faced 150 balls and hit 11 fours and fours sixes, with two of those maximums coming in the last over, against Thisara Perera. The right-arm pacer, however, managed to dismiss Rahim off the third ball of the over to bowl Bangladesh out for 261. Lanka's plight was further compounded by horrific usage of DRS.

Malinga Class

Veteran Malinga produced an inspired spell of fast bowling to return with figures of 4/23 from ten overs. But other six Lankan bowlers failed to support the legend as Bangladesh escaped with 261 runs on the board. Dashun Shanaka was the second most successful bowler, with two wickets.

Lanka's chase of 262 runs started on a flambouyant manner with Upul Tharanga (27) taking 13 runs off the first over, bowled by Bangla captain Mortaza. But the chase soon got imploded as wickets kept falling without any resistance.

The introduction of ever reliable Mustafizur Rahman in the second over meant that Bangladesh got their first wicket, in the form of Kusal Mendis, gone for a golden duck. It was followed by wickets of Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva (0), Dasun Shanaka (7), skipper Angelo Mathews (16), Thisara Perera (6), and Lanka were 69/7 inside the 20th over.

Two little stands – 27 for the 8th wicket by Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal, and 24 for the 9th wicket by Dilruwan Perera and Amila Aponso – stalled the Bangla march for some time. But those stands never really threatened the boisterous Bangladeshis. Shakib removed Aponso in the 36th over, caught at mid-off by Iqbal's substitute Nazmul Hossain Shanto to wrap up the Lankan innings for 124 all out.

Records

Lanka thus posted their lowest score against Bangladesh, 23 less than the previous low of 147 at Mirpur in 2009. This is also the third biggest defeat for an ICC Full Member team in the tournament, behind Bangladesh's 158 and 139-run defeats Lanka and Pakistan at Karachi, 2008 and Dambulla, 2010 respectively.

In the second match of the tournament, Pakistan take on Hong Kong in their Group B encounter at the same venue on Sunday. Lanka will play their final group match against Afghanistan on Monday, while Bangladesh-Afghanistan clash will be held on Thursday at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

India are the other team in the six-team continental tournament.

Brief Scores

Man of the match: Mushfiqur Rahim

Bangladesh: 261 all out in 49.3 Overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 144, Mohammad Mithun 63; Lasith Malinga 4/23, Dhananjaya de Silva 2/38)
Sri Lanka: 124 all out in 35.2 Overs (Dilruwan Perera 29, Upul Tharanga 27; Mashrafe Mortaza 2/25, Mustafizur Rahman 2/20, Mehidy Hasan 2/2)