Sri Lanka pip Bangladesh in first T20

Sri Lanka won the first T20 match against Bangladesh in dramatic fashion with Bangladesh falling just two runs short in their chase.??

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field in the first Twenty20 international being played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.??

Sri Lanka posted 168-7 in the first innings with opener Kusal Perera top scoring on 64.

In reply Bangladesh fell two runs short of their target on 166 with Anamul Haque posting 58 runs.

Victory didn’t look possible for the Bangladeshis until late on, when they needed 29 off the last two overs, then 17 off the last over.

Haque edged a boundary past the wicketkeeper off the first ball, and scored two off the second. Next ball, Farhad Reza was run out when Haque wanted to retain the strike and sent him back too late. Haque hit the next two deliveries through cover to the boundary, leaving one ball left and three to win and two to tie.

With the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium crowd roaring, Perera bowled a full toss but Haque mishit it straight up, and Perera was underneath to catch him out.

Bangladesh’s openers had made a decent start of 52 in seven overs but Sri Lanka’s bowling was disciplined.

Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara picked up two wickets apiece.

Kusal Perera kept Sri Lanka’s innings together with 64 off 44 balls after seasoned fellow opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was out for a duck in the first over.

Kulasekara finished what Thisara Perera started with 31 off 21, hitting one four and two sixes, while Perera was not out on 19.

For Bangladesh, debutant Arafat Sunny, Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortoza claimed two wickets each.

The second and last match is on Friday.