Bangladesh started the ODI series well, winning the first game at Chattogram by a wide margin, following their defeat in the T20I series.
Their bowlers first set the stage for their all-around display, limiting Sri Lanka to just 255 before captain Najmul Hossain’s century took them home with 32 balls remaining.
The chase was made easier by the arrival of dew, but Bangladesh took advantage of it as Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim put up an undefeated 165 runs together in the chase for the fifth wicket. Bangladesh had been reduced to 23/3 before the rebuilding took place, making the relationship even more important.
Before teaming up with Rahim, Shanto contributed to a crucial 59-run partnership with Mahmudullah, who scored 37 runs off of just one delivery, to steady the ship. As the dew set in, the Sri Lankan spinners found it difficult to get anything done.
Bangladesh, however, had their pacers to thank prior to that stand. They were requested to bowl, thus the early momentum did not go in their favour. The Sri Lankan openers got off to a good start, amassing 71 runs before Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck twice in as many balls to remove both.
The visitors faltered momentarily when the well-matched combination was eliminated, but they were saved by a 69-run partnership between Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage. When both batters reached their fifties, they were unable to continue, which gave Bangladesh the opportunity to rally late in the match. The bottom order was cleaned out by frequent strikes from Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam as Sri Lanka lost their final five games for a mere 34 runs.
As the conditions improved during the hunt, the target ultimately turned out to be simpler.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 257/4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 122, Mushfiqur Rahim 73) defeated Sri Lanka 255 all out (Janith Liyanage 67, Kusal Mendis 59; Tanzim Hasan 3-44) by 6 wickets.
