Bangladesh Down Sri Lanka in a Stunning Thriller at Dubai

The Saturday game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka proved to be a stunning thriller. The tigers downed Lankan lions by four wickets, courtesy of great batting by Towhid Hridoy and Saif Hassan. The young guns of Bangladesh played splendid knocks to ensure their team came out as winners in the first Super Four clash.

The target of 169 set up by Sri Lanka looked tough, but Saif’s brilliance at the start and Towhid’s masterclass during the middle overs gave Bangladesh the much-needed win. They trounced the Lankan Lions by 4 wickets, giving their team a strong start in the Super Four stage of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

After winning the toss, Bangladesh decided to bowl first. It was a dry pitch in Dubai, hence Bangladesh immediately took the decision to have a go at bowling. Keeping in view the conditions, they made two critical changes to their squad by bringing in Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam in place of Rishad Hossain and Nurul Hasan. This was precisely done to bolster their bowling department, which took a heavy beating in the last contest against Sri Lanka.

When the first innings started, the Lankan openers looked in complete control. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis started off well by taking down the threat of Nasum Ahmed. Their brisk start took Sri Lanka to a good Powerplay total, denting the early hopes of Bangladesh fans.

However, as soon as the Powerplay ended, Sri Lanka fell into the trap of Bangladesh. They lost quick wickets, which allowed Bangladesh to come back into the game. The middle order of Sri Lanka struggled to fire today, as Bangladesh bowlers kept continuous pressure on them.

The sinking batting ship of Sri Lanka got steadied when Dasun Shanaka came out to bat. He showcased superlative power-hitting in today’s game. The all-rounder went berserk with the six-hitting frenzy, disrupting all the death bowling plans of the Bangladesh team. It was due to his efforts, Sri Lanka scored a formidable total of 168 in the first innings of the game.

When Bangladesh came out to chase this stiff target, they surprised the Lankan bowlers. The opener, Saif Hassan, showcased a stunning hitting style in the Powerplay. He took down the threat of Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera by relentlessly hitting big sixes. This set the tone for the Bangladesh team, and they started to feel confident in the chase.

Litton Das also played well alongside Saif Hassan in the Powerplay to lift the scoring rate. Due to their combined hitting, Bangladesh were able to score 59 at the end of the Powerplay. The Bangladesh captain, however, fell in the 7th over when he tried to take on Hasaranga with a slog at deep backward square leg.

Things then became a bit difficult for Bangladesh batters, as the Sri Lankan team started to apply pressure. However, the duo of Towhid Hridoy and Saif Hassan played smartly during the middle overs, ensuring not to lose further wickets to attacking Sri Lankan bowlers.

The plan worked, and both batters got set in the crease. Towhid played with confidence by taking down the spin attack of the Sri Lankan team. His superlative innings of 58 runs gave Bangladesh the strong impetus it needed to chase the target at the end.

Bangladesh chased the target and won the match in the last over, though it came as a tough win. They will now face India on Wednesday, which will be yet another tight contest between the two Asian giants.