Asia Cup: Samarawickrama, Asalanka guide SL to win against Bangladesh
What's the story
Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh in their Asia Cup 2023 opener at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The hosts successfully chased down 165, with Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka playing match-winning knocks. The duo shared a 78-run stand after they were reduced to 43/3. Both of them slammed half-centuries as SL won by five wickets. Here are the key stats.
Knocks
Samarawickrama and Asalanka slam match-winning fifties
Samarawickrama came to the middle after SL lost two wickets for just 15 runs. SL had lost Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka by then. Kusal Mendis too departed soon. Samarawickrama then added 78 runs along with Asalanka, which proved a match-winning partnership. Samarawickrama (54 off 77 balls) slammed his fourth half-century, while Asalanka (62* off 92 balls) scored his ninth.
Samarawickarma
Third half-century in 2023
Samarawickarma has been in sublime form in ODI cricket. Three of his four ODI half-centuries have come this year. The Lankan batter still awaits his maiden ton in the format. Standing in his 18th ODI, Samarawickrama has raced to 454 runs at an average of 32.42. His maiden fifty in the format came against England back in 2018, 54 off 48 balls.
Asalanka
Asalanka races past 1,100 ODI runs
During the match, Asalanka completed 1,100 runs in ODI cricket. The SL middle-order batter has racked up 1,155 runs in 36 ODIs at an average of 42.77 so far. His tally includes nine half-centuries and a solitary ton. Asalanka's highest ODI score of 110 came against Australia. He is among the 36 SL batters who have crossed 1,100 runs in this format.
Match
Here's the summary of the match
Bangladesh had a patchy start after electing to bat. They lost four wickets before the 100-run mark. Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the visitors afloat even though they faced a batting collapse. Matheesha Pathirana took a four-wicket haul, with Bangladesh folding for 165. SL had a similar start (43/3), but Samarawickrama and Asalanka steadied their ship. Although SL suffered turbulence, they won in 39 overs.