Sri Lanka Cricket

In cricket, freakish performances come in many shapes and forms.

The performance most often comes in batsmen inventing new shots and completely obliterating bowlers. Sometimes it comes through fast bowlers hitting full tilt at 149km/h.

On Monday, freakish came in the the form of what the late Tony Greig would have referred to as a "little Sri Lankan." That little Sri Lankan is called Rangana Herath, and his bowling was a bundle of joy.

With New Zealand and Sri Lanka in a shootout for a semi-final spot, Herath took five for three (that is the right way around—five wickets for three runs) to help seal his team's progress. Those figures included a wicket maiden and a double-wicket maiden.

It came from nowhere: The portly spinner had not played a T20 international since the final of the 2012 edition, but he delivered a fantastic spell of left-arm spin to reiterate just how important slow bowlers are in this format.

With New Zealand winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka managed a low total of 119 all out. If they were going to defend it, they were going to need something special.

That something special first struck in the fourth over when Herath got rid of Brendon McCullum. It was a typical spinner's wicket, luring the attacking batsman out of his crease and having him stumped.

Spinners are transformed in T20s because batsmen are forced to attack. Even when they do not need to do so, batsmen like McCullum feel like attack is the best way out, and that leads to poor decisions, but it doesn't make the way Herath manipulated the flight of the ball any less spectacular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3BzRiGePw

His next two wickets of Ross Taylor and Jimmy Neesham were equally wonderful. Taylor was foxed by a flatter delivery and was trapped in front of his stumps. Neesham had his stumps taken out of the ground, and with New Zealand collapsing to 23-4 in just six overs, Sri Lanka were on their way to creating magic. 

Luke Ronchi was also beaten by the turn, and Trent Boult was beaten by his inability to bat. New Zealand were fairly and squarely beaten by Herath, with every single delivery he bowled. The Black Caps were all out for 60—almost as embarrassing as England's earlier performance against the Netherlands. 

Spinners do play a vital role in the format. Nine out of the top 10 bowlers in the official ICC rankings are spinners. On tracks which offer them just a little bit, they can become superheroes in the space of just a few hours. 

Herath is now 36 years old and has played just seven T20Is to date. In the last two T20Is, he has played—however far apart they might be—he has been superb. 

Cricket has recently showed that it can still be a game for old men with players such as Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Chris Rogers, Shane Warne, Brad Hodge and Sachin Tendulkar all defying the laws that sportsmen should be cast away as soon as they tip toward the wrong side of 30.

The cricket world will only hope that this was Herath's "coming of T20 age" spell and that there is much, much more to come from the little bundle of spinning joy. 

Venue: Chittagong

Date: Thursday, March 27

Start time: 1:30 p.m. GMT

Live on: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (Australia), Super Sport (South Africa), BTV (Bangladesh), PTV Sports (Pakistan), Star India (India),SLBC (Sri Lanka), ESPN3 (USA)

Weather: Accuweather predicts that it will be a warm evening, 32 degrees Celsius with no threat of showers. 

Overview

The succinct nature of the group stage has ensured that, following England's Duckworth Lewis defeat to New Zealand, this is a must-win match for Stuart Broad's men. And there are perhaps no opponents more ominous than Sri Lanka to play in such a fixture.

Indeed, since Paul Farbrace took over as Sri Lankan head coach at the start of the year, his team have won 12 consecutive limited-overs matches and in familiar conditions and are many people's favourites for the World T20. 

They've started the tournament in the mould of potential champions. A tense win over a strong South African side, before battering the Netherlands in their second match, they are already on the brink of qualification for the semi-finals, and a win against England would go a long way to ensuring their progression as the top team in the group. 

Sri Lanka are a potent force not necessarily because of any conspicuous strengths but more because of broad solidity. All the way down, from the explosive Kusal Perera at the top of the order through the experienced middle order and down through the spinners and to Lasith Malinga, they have the key bases covered well. 

All-rounder Angelo Matthews has ruled out the addition of a third spinner to the Sri Lankan side, per Cricket365.com, with England's weakness against spin a factor dominating the pre-match talk.

Indeed, the overs bowled by the spinners in all the matches have proven to be pivotal, particularly in the middle overs of the innings. How England cope with such an attack will be integral to their success. Although Sri Lanka's openers may be faced with a short-ball barrage from Broad. 

England have reason to feel aggrieved following their defeat to New Zealand in which just 5.2 overs of New Zealand's chase were possible before rain and lightening interrupted proceedings. They will have to move on fast, however, with defeat here ending their hopes of qualification for the semi-finals.

Chris Woakes and Stephen Parry are in contention for selection, and it is unlikely England will make any sweeping changes. Their batting, recording a strong total against New Zealand, will probably be left untouched, although Luke Wright's replacement in the squad, Craig Kieswetter, is waiting in the wings.

If England can replicate the strong start with the bat that they produced against New Zealand, they'll feel confident that they can upset the plans of Sri Lanka, which is led by an inexperienced captain in Dinesh Chandimal, and carrying a couple of more suspect pace bowlers, could be thrown off course. 

Squads

England

Stuart Broad (capt), Eoin Morgan (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Stephen Parry, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Joe Root

Sri Lanka

Dinesh Chadimal (capt), Lasith Malinga (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardena, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath/Chaturanga De Silva, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Seekuge Prasanna

Sri Lanka bowled out the Netherlands for the lowest total in Twenty20 International history in a one-sided World T20 contest in Chittagong.

The Dutch were skittled out for 39 in 10.3 overs, with Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis picking up three wickets apiece.

The 2009 and 2012 runners-up polished off the total in just five overs to pick up their second victory in Group 1 and considerably boosted their net run rate in the process.

Only Tom Cooper got into double figures as the Associate Nation received a harsh wake-up call at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium after their heroics against Ireland on Friday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXV2jTGl0ik

The Netherlands chased down 190 in 13.5 overs to eliminate the Irish but had no answer to the seam of Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara with the new ball, as they slumped to 1-3.

Mathews picked up a third wicket before Cooper was run out for 16.

The Dutch could not deal with the unorthodox Lasith Malinga, who picked up two quick wickets, or mystery spinner Mendis. They lost their final five wickets for six runs in 13 balls.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
Myburgh	c Malinga	b N Kulasekara	0		3
Swart	c Sangakkara	b Mathews	0	7	4
Barresi	c Chandimal	b Mathews	1	7	4
Cooper	lbw	b A Mendis	16	36	18
Borren	lbw	b Mathews	0	7	7
Cooper	run out (T Perera)		8	14	10
Bukhari		b Malinga	4	12	8
van Beek		b Malinga	1	4	4
Seelaar	c Mathews	b A Mendis	3	4	3
van der Gugten	not out		0		0
Jamil	lbw	b A Mendis	0		2
Extras		0nb 0w 0b 6lb	6
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
N Kulasekara		2	2	0	1
Mathews		4	0	16	3
Malinga		2	0	5	2
A Mendis		2.3	0	12	3

Sri Lanka lost opener Kusal Perera for 14 in their reply but the result was never in doubt as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene saw their side home without further loss to complete a nine-wicket victory.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
K Perera	c Swart	b Jamil	14	10	10
Dilshan	not out		12	24	11
M Jayawardene	not out		11	12	10
Extras		1nb 2w 0b 0lb	3
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
van der Gugten		3	0	22	0
Jamil		2	0	18	1

Sri Lanka, who beat South Africa in their opening contest in the Super 10 phase, next face England on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Dutch meet the Proteas. 

Sri Lanka claimed a brutally efficient five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2014 final in Dhaka on Saturday, winning the tournament for the first time since 2008.

Going into the final with a perfect record throughout the competition, a five-wicket haul from Lasith Malinga and a century from Lahiru Thirimanne guided Sri Lanka to glory.

Setting a target of 261 for victory, the Sri Lankan side displayed the depth they have in their batting, with Kusal Perera and Mahela Jayawardene also contributing significant scores. 

Despite losing their form batsman Kumar Sangakkara for a first-ball duck, Sri Lanka gathered runs steadily winning the game with 22 balls to spare.

Pakistan Innings
Total	for 5		260	(50.0 ovs)
Sri Lanka Innings
Total	for 5		261	(46.2 ovs)
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Balls
Sharjeel Khan	c T Perera	b Malinga	8	6
Ahmed Shehzad	c Sangakkara	b Malinga	5	7
Mohammad Hafeez	c Sangakkara	b Malinga	3	13
Misbah-ul-Haq	c K Perera	b Malinga	65	98
Fawad Alam	not	out	114	134
Umar Akmal	c Priyanjan	b Malinga	59	42
Shahid Afridi	not	out	0	0
Extras	5w 1lb		6
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Malinga	10	0	56	5
Lakmal	10	2	41	0
Senanayake	9	0	54	0
T Perera	10	1	66	0
Mathews	7	1	23	0
de SIlva	4	0	19	0
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Balls
K Perera	st Akmal	b Ajmal	42	37
Thirimanne		b Ajmal	101	108
Sangakkara	lbw	b Ajmal	0	1
Jayawardene	c S Khan	b Talha	75	93
Priyanjan	c Akmal	b J Khan	13	18
Mathews	not	out	16	13
de Silva	not	out	6	9
Extras	5w 1nb 1b 1lb		8
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Hafeez	9	0	42	0
Gul	6	0	44	0
J Khan	9	0	56	1
Ajmal	10	2	26	3
Talha	6.2	0	56	1
Afridi	6	0	35	0

A pre-match surprise saw the tournament's joint-top wicket-taker, Ajantha Mendis, left out of the Sri Lankan side.

Malinga returned after being rested for the last match, with seam bowler Suranga Lakmal retaining his place.

There were two changes for Pakistan. Opener Sharjeel Khan replaced Sohaib Maqsood, while left-arm seamer Junaid Khan came in for left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman. 

Pakistan won the toss and Misbah-ul-Haq opted to bat first. After five overs they had already lost Khan, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, with Malinga claiming all three wickets.

However, a stand of 122 from Misbah and Fawad Alam steadied the ship.

Fawad went on to score a magnificent century. Steady to start with, the 28-year-old upped the firepower in the last 10 overs to guide Pakistan to a respectable score.

Remarkably, the last nine overs of Pakistan's innings included only four dot balls.

Despite Pakistan's rally, Sri Lanka would still have been confident of chasing down the score they had been set.

A solid start saw Perera and Thirimanne put on 56 for the first wicket. 

Until the final, Jayawardene had only scored 36 runs in the whole tournament. 

However, always the one for the big occasion, he and Thirimanne put on 156 runs together and put Sri Lanka in pole position.

Skipper Angelo Mathews fittingly scored the winning runs which saw Sri Lanka deservedly claim victory.

They have been the most consistent team throughout the tournament and their all-round quality shined through in this final.

  

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will deservedly contest the Asia Cup 2014 final on Saturday, March 8, having clearly been the best two teams in the competition.

Angelo Mathews' Sri Lanka side have been dominant so far in the five-team tournament, winning all four of their matches in the round-robin group stage, including a 12-run victory over Pakistan.

However, Misbah-ul-Haq's defending champions will be a stern test for Sri Lanka in the final, with bags of quality in the side.

Read on for an analysis of both teams' strengths and weaknesses.

Sri Lanka

Strength in depth is probably Sri Lanka's biggest asset, especially in the batting department.

As displayed in their final group game against Bangladesh, they are capable of fashioning a result even when their top-order batsmen do not fire.

Sri Lanka fell to 8-3 in their pursuit of Bangladesh's 204, but some cool play from the middle order and Mathews' 74 not out guided them to the win.

As well as their quality throughout the side, Sri Lanka have some proven match-winners in the shape of Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga.

Sangakkara has top-scored in the competition with 248 runs at an average of 62, per ESPN Cricinfo. If the 36-year-old can get a big score, Sri Lanka will be difficult to beat.

And in 30-year-old Malinga they boast possibly the world's best death bowler. His stunning five-wicket spell against Pakistan in the group stages won Sri Lanka the game. A repeat of that would be bad news for their opponents.

Sri Lanka's weaknesses lie at the top of their batting order. Whilst Sangakkara has been in brilliant form, veteran Mahela Jayawardene has not been performing well of late.

The 36-year-old has scored only 36 runs in total throughout the tournament. Over-reliance on Sangakkara at the top of the order could cost them.

If they find themselves at 8-3 on Saturday, Pakistan will likely punish them more than Bangladesh could.

Pakistan

Pakistan's batsmen have been strong—especially Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, who are both top-five run scorers in the tournament.

Furthermore, they have the mercurial Shahid Afridi lower down the order, who has contributed two match-winning innings in the last three games.

An 18-ball 34 against India preceded a quite incredible 59 off 25 balls against Bangladesh from the 34-year-old all-rounder.

Paired with their strength in batting, they also have a good bowling attack. With eight wickets so far in the tournament, Saeed Ajmal is a proven threat and will be dangerous on Saturday.

However, other front-line bowlers—including Umar Gul and Mohammad Talha—have been expensive going at more than a run a ball. They will have to be more economical in the final. 

Inconsistency is Pakistan's greatest weakness. Whilst capable of great things when on form, they are prone to a collapse. 

Although he is clearly up to the task, Pakistan will not want Afridi to have to get them out of jail once again. If the lower order collapse against Malinga as they did in the group stages, Pakistan will be in trouble.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will go head-to-head in the final of the 2014 Asia Cup on Saturday in Dhaka, and deservedly so, as they have clearly been the best teams in the competition. 

Sri Lanka have won all their games in the round-robin group matches, while Pakistan were involved in a couple of tense finishes against India and the hosts Bangladesh.

Pakistan will be hoping to defend the title they won in 2012 but it will be tough as Sri Lanka have looked very consistent so far in the tournament.

The final is a repeat of the tournament's opening game, which saw Sri Lanka win by just 12 runs. Read on for a full preview and prediction.

Pakistan will look to their batsmen

The runs have been flowing for Pakistan during this competition, with Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal being especially prolific.

Shehzad has 223 runs from the four group games, while Akmal has scored 194 including his 102 not out against Afghanistan.

With fire power like this in their batting order, Pakistan will be confident of setting a daunting target, or chasing down anything the Sri Lankans might set them.

Furthermore, the inimitable Shahid Afridi could well be influential, having contributed two match-winning innings so far this tournament including in their one-wicket win over India.

With Lasith Malinga to contend with, Pakistan's batting must be outstanding if they are to triumph.

Malinga and Sangakkara hold the key for Sri Lanka

Malinga's ability to bowl so effectively at the death could be absolutely key in this encounter, as it was when the two sides met earlier in the tournament.

The 30-year-old thundered through the Pakistan tail on that occasion, taking all of the last five wickets to fall, preventing them from chasing down the 296 run target Sri Lanka had set.

If Malinga can be as lethal in this encounter, then Pakistan will have to find a new way to deal with him to prevent a repeat performance.

As well as a clinical bowler, Sri Lanka also boast the tournament's top run scorer in Kumar Sangakkara.

With two half-centuries and a century against India, the 36-year-old has scored 248 runs at an average of 62. 

If he can get settled then Pakistan will struggle to stop Sri Lanka from scoring, especially with the likes of Angelo Mathews lower down the order more than capable of making a contribution. 

Prediction

It is almost impossible to call this one, with both teams capable of extraordinary things on their day.

If Pakistan bring their best game then they could easily grab a famous win.

However, Sri Lanka's consistency gives them the edge going into what should be a fantastic final.

Prediction: Sri Lanka to win narrowly

Sri Lanka kept their unbeaten record in the 2014 Asia Cup as they narrowly defeated hosts Bangladesh in the final group game of the tournament, winning by three wickets.

Bangladesh finished up an unsatisfactory tournament, having lost all four of their group games, and will go away disappointed—especially considering their home advantage.

After a strong start, Bangladesh could only score 204-9 from their 50 overs and, despite a shaky start from Sri Lanka, a confident 74 not out from Angelo Mathews contributed to a successful chase with one over to spare.

With Sri Lanka now heading into the final against Pakistan and Bangladesh looking forward to the World Twenty20 in two weeks, the key lessons from each side are examined below.

Sri Lanka have strength in depth

It was not the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene that led Sri Lanka to this victory; rather, it was an obstinate middle-order performance and significant runs from Mathews and Chaturanga de Silva, who scored 44.

It is daunting for other ODI sides to see that even when Sri Lanka's top order don't fire they have the quality to win anyway.

A slightly ragged pitch made batting hard work in this game, but Sri Lanka's middle order dug in impressively after a terrible start saw them slump to 8-3. This ability to steady the ship may well be key when they face Pakistan on Saturday.

Captain Mathews did the job for them today but Sri Lanka will be hoping the likes of Jayawardene, who is in a prolonged patch of poor form, can perform in their next outing.

Further to their batting depth is the fact that the rested Lasith Malinga was barely missed as Suranga Lakmal bowled impressively at the death.

Bangladesh need to improve their batting

The hosts undeniably underperformed in this tournament and must turn their form around. They are no longer the new-boys of international cricket having been around for some time now, and this experience should show.

Granted, they were unlucky to lose to Pakistan after posting 326 from their 50 overs but their performance in losing to Afghanistan was poor with their batting line-up unable to really trouble the 254 set by their opponents.

Similarly against Sri Lanka the target they set was nowhere near big enough and although their bowlers did their best to prevent the loss they were in a tough situation.

There were positives to be taken from the Sri Lanka clash, however, with their openers Anamul Haque and Shamsur Rahman putting on 74 for the first wicket.

Haque looked particularly good falling just one shy of his fifty and his abilities will be vital when the World Twenty20 comes around.

And it will be at that tournament when they must show more quality. Being the hosts, the least they will want to do is make it through to the Super 10 group stage. 

The Asia Cup sees the continent's five best sides go head-to-head over a fortnight, culminating in the two top-ranked sides squaring off in a grand final on Saturday 8 March.

Minnows Afghanistan appear in the tournament for the first time in their history and they will take on Sri Lanka at the Shere Bangala National Stadium in Mirpur on Monday 3 March.

Sri Lanka will naturally be the overwhelming favourites going into this one and will be keen to make it three wins in a row after already beating India and Pakistan in this year's competition.

But after an unprecedented rise in recent years, this Afghanistan team will have little fear when it comes to facing their more illustrious opponents. They will also be buoyed by their historic victory over Bangladesh in their second game of the competition, their first against a Test-playing nation.

It means there is plenty at stake for both sides in Monday’s showdown, so lets take a look at who are going to be the key players in this clash and take an educated punt at what the final outcome will be.

Key Players

Kumar Sangakkara

Even at the ripe old age of 36, Sangakkara is still turning in outstanding performances on a unwaveringly consistent basis. In this series so far he’s scored 67 and 103 against Pakistan and India respectively; he’s obviously in superb touch as we enter the final knockings of this tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_sBMTu__yQ

After giving the Indian and Pakistani bowling attacks the runaround, you have to wonder what Sangakkara could potentially do to the weakest bowling attack in the competition. The Sri Lankan ‘keeper has an outstanding and varied range of shots, so it’s difficult to see any of the Afghan bowlers pinning him down or snaffling his wicket early.

If Sangakkara gets in and gets set then it'll be a long day for the Afghan fielders. He has the capabilities to help Sri Lanka post a stratospheric batting total should they bat first in this one.

Lasith Malinga

The man dubbed “the slinger” due to his unique bowling style remains one of the most feared bowlers on the planet. Whilst he can be occasionally erratic and a little wayward, when he gets it right Malinga can send a batsman's stumps flying.

An expert when it comes to bowling at the death, Malinga combines raw pace with subtle variations to bamboozle opposition batsmen. His yorkers are often devastating, whilst his canny use of the slower ball keeps any batsman guessing. He's the only bowler to have ever taken three hat-tricks in ODI internationals, which affirms his pedigree as one of the greatest ODI bowlers of his generation.

As is the case with Sangakkara, you feel that Malinga will be too classy an operator for their Afghan opponents. Unless, of course he has one of his off-day’s, on which he can go for a lot of runs.

If that proves to be the case, it remains to be seen if the Afghan batsmen have the ability to punish him. But having taken six wickets already in this Asia Cup competition, Malinga is looking fast and in form. You certainly don’t envy the job of the Afghanistan batsmen when he’s steaming in.

Samiullah Shenwari

Playing for just the fourth time against one of the major cricketing nations, Afghanistan secured an historic win against Test-playing Bangladesh in their last outing. 

The bedrock of that victory came after a remarkable 164-run sixth wicket partnership between Asghar Stanikazi and Samiullah Shenwari, who scored 90 and 81 respectively.

Shenwari was the star of the show for Afghanistan, as he injected some much-needed impetus into a toiling innings. The 26-year-old made his 81 off just 69 balls, which included 10 fours and a six. Batting at No. 7, it’s crucial that Shenwari makes quick runs once he comes in and with the firepower in the Sri Lankan bowling attack, you suspect that he’ll be seeing some action pretty early on.

He must keep his head, play sensibly and hopefully give his team a fighting chance. For once he’s gone, there is little batting left in this Afghanistan line-up.

Prediction

Whilst it would be wonderful to see Afghanistan give Sri Lanka a real run for their money, there is only one outcome on the cards here and that's an emphatic Sri Lankan victory.

Sri Lanka have looked imperious in beating India and Pakistan, so they should have no problems dispatching this plucky but technically inferior Afghanistan team. 

If Sangakkara and Co. bat first they will post in excess of 350 and that will be way beyond the reach of their opponents. On the flip-side, if Afghanistan bat first, Malinga will blitz through their top order early on.

Sri Lanka took a big step towards reaching the Asia Cup Final with a two-wicket victory over India in Fatullah, Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka, who won the toss and chose to field, could only restrict India to 264-9 in their 50 overs at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.

		Runs	Minutes	Balls	4s
Ro Sharma	lbw	b Senanayake	13	38	28
Dhawan		b A Mendis	94	162	114
Kohli		b A Mendis	48	64	51
Rahane	c Thirimanne	b Senanayake	22	39	27
Rayudu	c K Perera	b de Silva	18	27	23
Karthik	c de Silva	b A Mendis	4		3
Jadeja	not out		22	47	27
Binny	lbw	b Senanayake	0	3	4
Ashwin		b Malinga	18	20	16
B Kumar	st Sangakkara	b A Mendis	0	4	0
Shami	not out		14	6	7
Extras		0nb 6w 4b 1lb	11
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Malinga		10	0	58	1
Mathews		3.2	1	9	0
Senanayake		10	0	41	3
T Perera		6.4	0	40	0
A Mendis		10	0	60	4
de Silva		10	0	51	1

However, they reached their target with four balls to spare, as Kumar Sangakkara made a century.

Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for India with 94 as they looked to build upon their opening victory over Bangladesh.

The left-handed opener faced 114 balls and hit seven boundaries and a six before being bowled by Ajantha Mendis in the 40th over.

Mendis had earlier removed skipper Virat Kohli for 48 and, after Dhawan's dismissal, India were unable to kick on in the final 10 overs, scoring only 64 runs.

Kusal Perera (64) and Lahiru Thirimanne (38) gave Sri Lanka a strong start in their reply with an opening stand of 80.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_sBMTu__yQ

Ravichandran Ashwin removed both men, but India were up against it with Sri Lanka on 134-2 after 27 overs.

Sangakkara made his 18th One Day International century off just 83 balls with 12 boundaries and a six in his innings, but watched wickets tumble at the other end.

Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets and Mohammed Shami two, as none of the five batsmen after Sangakkara made more than 12.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
K Perera	c Karthik	b Ashwin	64	102	81
Thirimanne	lbw	b Ashwin	38	66	55
Sangakkara	c Ashwin	b Shami	103	142	84
M Jayawardene	c Ro Sharma	b Jadeja	9	18	12
Chandimal		b Jadeja	0		1
Mathews	lbw	b Shami	6	20	18
Senanayake	c Ro Sharma	b Shami	12	9	13
de Silva	lbw	b Jadeja	9	21	12
T Perera	not out		11	35	18
A Mendis	not out		5	5	2
Extras		0nb 1w 0b 7lb	8
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
B Kumar		9.2	1	45	0
Shami		10	0	81	3
Ashwin		10	0	42	2
Binny		4	0	22	0
Jadeja		10	1	30	3
Rayudu		1	0	9	0
Ro Sharma		5	0	29	0

Veteran keeper Sangakkara was dismissed by Shami in the 49th over with Sri Lanka still needing seven off the final nine balls. However, Mendis edged a boundary before Perera scored the winning single, a ball after being dropped.

Sri Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the one-day international series with a 61-run victory over Bangladesh in Mirpur.

A century from Kumar Sangakkara powered the visitors to 289-6 in their 50 overs.

Bangladesh were dismissed for 228 in their reply, all out seven overs short of their allocation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfL-ZKs6fU

Sangakkara smashed 14 boundaries in making 128 from 115 balls, his 17th ODI hundred.

The 36-year-old, who was named man of the Test series, shared a 114-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Ashan Priyanjan.

Priyanjan made his second ODI half-century in just his fourth game before being trapped lbw by Shakib Al Hasan for 60.

Captain Angelo Mathews increased the tempo with an unbeaten 56 from 39 balls. He put on 83 with Sangakkara, who was finally dismissed in the 47th over as Mahmudullah took a catch on the long-on boundary with Arafat Sunny picking up the wicket.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
K Perera	c Rahman	b Rubel Hossain	8	8	7
Dilshan	c Mushfiqur Rahim	b Rubel Hossain	8	37	16
Sangakkara	c Mahmudullah	b Arafat Sunny	128	181	115
Chandimal	c Rahman	b Gazi	9	19	14
Priyanjan	lbw	b Shakib	60	89	97
Mathews	not out		56	57	39
T Perera	c Mahmudullah	b Rubel Hossain	0	3	3
Vithanage	not out		13	11	9
Extras		0nb 4w 0b 3lb	7
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Mortaza		8	0	52	0
Rubel Hossain		10	0	76	3
Gazi		10	0	50	1
Shakib		10	1	46	1
Arafat Sunny		8	1	44	1
Mahmudullah		3	0	11	0
M Haque		1	0	7	0

The Tigers' reply started badly as Shamsur Rahman was removed in the opening over by Lasith Malinga, although fellow opener Anamul Haque made 42 before falling lbw to Thisara Perera.

Wickets steadily fell as Mushfiqur Rahim anchored the innings, but home hopes finally vanished when he was the ninth man out in the 42nd over for 79 after steering Malinga straight to Sachithra Senanayake at point.

Senanayake then sealed the victory six balls later when Rubel Hossain got a leading edge to point. Senanayake, Malinga, Perera and Ajantha Mendis took two wickets apiece.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls
A Haque	lbw	b T Perera	42	59	46
Rahman	c Senanayake	b Malinga	0	5	3
M Haque	c Sangakkara	b Senanayake	15	46	32
Mushfiqur Rahim	c Senanayake	b Malinga	79	124	83
Shakib	c Senanayake	b Priyanjan	24	30	23
Nasir Hossain	c Vithanage	b A Mendis	22	22	24
Mahmudullah	run out (K Perera)		1	7	4
Gazi	c Sangakkara	b T Perera	7	10	11
Mortaza	c T Perera	b A Mendis	17	35	23
Arafat Sunny	not out		1	9	4
Rubel Hossain	c Sub	b Senanayake	6	2	6
Extras		1nb 7w 3b 3lb	14
Bowler		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Malinga		8	2	45	2
Mathews		8	1	44	0
Senanayake		8	0	33	2
T Perera		6	0	40	2
A Mendis		8	0	43	2
Priyanjan		5	0	17	1

The series comes to a conclusion on Saturday at the same ground.