Asia Cup 2023 | Fluent Samarawickrama takes Sri Lanka to respectable total against Bangladesh
The Hindu
Asia Cup 2023 | Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh super 4 one-day international match in Colombo on September 9, 2023
Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis' fifties notwithstanding, Sri Lanka never really could slip into the overdrive, meandering to 257 for nine against Bangladesh in their Asia Cup Super 4 match in Colombo on September 9.
After being asked to bat first, Samarawickrama made 93 off 72 balls, Mendis 50 and Pathum Nissanka 40, yet the Sri Lankans might view this effort as a lost opportunity to be in a far stronger position.
Bangladesh were served well by Hasan Mahmud (3 for 57), while Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed shared four wickets among them equally.
If a few edges did not elude the Bangladesh fielders or they remained more alert, Sri Lanka could have been in deeper peril.
After the early departure of Dimuth Karunaratne, who edged pacer Mahmud to Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps, Lanka found some sanity through Nissanka and Mendis.
The second wicket pair added 74 runs, though the partnership was not always smooth.
Mendis, in particular, looked scratchy in the middle and there were edges and false shots galore in his 73-ball 50.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.