SL vs BAN | 28-ball explosive opening stand helps Lions seal chase to go 1-0 up in T20I series

Asked to bat first, Parvez Hossain Emon declared his intentions early when he ferociously pulled the second ball of the innings for four. The opener then struck three boundaries in the fourth over, indifferent to the strugles of Tanzid Hasan at the other end who eventually departed for a less-than run-a-ball 16 to end a 46-run opening stand. With the score 54/1 at the end of the powerplay, the Tigers were well placed to push on until Dasun Shanaka and Jeff Vandersay put the squeeze with a 15-ball boundary less drought, at the end of which the latter scalped skipper Litton Das. Maheesh Theekshana made it a double whammy by dispatching Parvez four balls later. The eight-over spell between overs six and 14 yielded just 43 runs, with Shanaka also dispatching Towhid Hridoy for a scratchy 10 in the meantime. Were it not for a 23-ball cameo for 29 from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and a quickfire five-ball 14 by Shamim Hossain at the death, the Tigers would have been left stranded well-short of the eventual 154/5 despite the set Mohammad Naim ending unbeaten on 32 off 29.

In response, Pathum Nissanka began with a crash, bang, and wallop, smashing three boundaries to begin the chase. Kusal Mendis joined the attack in the second over, adding two fours and a six to the total, before the duo combined for 30-runs across a six ball stretch between the third and fourth over. By the time Nissanka departed for a 16-ball 42 in the fifth over, the damage had been done, as the score read 78/1 after five overs. Even though the next seven overs brought just 40 runs with Miraz particularly bowling a tidy spell, Mendis cruised to a 31-ball half-century shortly before Rishad Hossain broke the 42-run stand by sending Kusal Perera packing for a 24-ball 25. The chase slacked considerably thereafter, exacerbated by Mendis being dismissed for a 51-all 73, but Charith Asalanka ultimately finished the job in style with a maximum to seal the result with six balls to spare.