T20 World Cup 2024: BAN vs SL – Who said What?

In Match 15 of the T20 World Cup 2024, the two well-known rivals Bangladesh and Sri Lanka faced off. The match ended in another low-scoring thriller that ultimately favored the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team. With one over remaining, they won by a razor-thin margin of two wickets to start their season.

Despite being placed at bat, Sri Lanka was only able to grind out a pitiful 124/9 on a slow track at Grand Prairie Stadium. This was looking quite poor, especially considering that they seemed like they were going to be in contention for a competitive total—they were at 100/3 by the 14th over—thanks to the strong start that opener Pathum Nissanka did with 47 off 28 deliveries.

Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Rishad Hossain all put forth excellent efforts, despite veteran batsman Shakib Al Hasan being costly, giving up 30 runs in his three-over session. Combined, they claimed nine wickets at an economy rate of 5.5 runs per over, which was very good.

Bangladesh managed to narrowly win with six deliveries remaining, despite Shanto’s team losing its openers in the first few overs. Litton Das’ steady innings and Towhid Hridoy’s quick 20-ball-40 blitzkrieg made this possible. Despite Nuwan Thushara’s outstanding stint, which saw him register amazing figures of 4/18 in his allocated overs, this was nonetheless accomplished.

It looks like the Lankan Lions will have a tough task ahead of them if they are to advance from the group stage in what is known as the Group of Death. In addition to winning their remaining games, their success will also depend on how other matches play out in favour of their campaign.

Speaking Points

1) The second duck in a row, Wanindu Hasaranga’s silent show

Especially when it comes to his batsmanship, the Lankan captain’s tournament debut has been forgettable. He was removed for a second-ball duck against South Africa, and he was removed for a golden duck against Afghanistan, an even more humiliating dismissal. It was an easy catch to slip since he closed the bat’s face too soon.

2) Lanka’s Six-Over Misfortune: A Deadly Strike

As said before, the Lankan team collapsed completely, falling victim to the opposition’s superiority, despite having established a promising position at 100/3 in 14 overs. They lost six wickets and could manage only 24 runs during this time, which left them completely disorganised and forced to play on the defensive as they prepared to defend their score.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: AFG vs NZ, Match 14 Highlights

3) Enchanting 19-run over: tense pursuit runner

It was Hridoy who broke the impasse at a point when it seemed to be evenly matched, with Bangladesh at 73/3 after 11 overs. By hitting three straight sixes off deliveries bowled by the Sri Lankan captain, he quickly broke the opposition’s momentum. Hasaranga eventually fired Hridoy, but not before he had caused a lot of harm, which gave Bangladesh slightly more freedom to pursue their objectives.

Losing skipper, Wanindu Hasaranga:

“We started really well in the first 10 overs but in the middle overs, we batted badly. Bowling is our strength. If we had got 150-160, we could have won with our bowling attack. The batters let us down in both games. We still have two games and we will try to do our best. Maheesh and myself are the two main spinners and we have to attack.”

Winning skipper, Najmul Hossain Shanto:

“Happy with the way everyone played. The run-chase wasn’t easy and we didn’t bat well to be honest. The pitch was pretty good. Litton showed his skill today. Hridoy, the way he played that over (12th over), it helped us. Happy for the crowd and I hope they will come again and support us.”

Player of the Match, Rishad Hossain:

I tried my best and stuck to my strengths. I was trying to keep it normal for the hat-trick delivery and was keen on executing a good ball.”