AI Simulation, SL vs BAN | Asalanka keeps Bangladesh hunting for maiden T20I series win in Lanka

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Charith Asalanka's brisk 41* off 22 deliveries rescued Sri Lanka from a spot of bother to help seal the chase against Bangladesh in Dambulla

As per Chat GPT, Sri Lanka are set to keep their perfect series record at home in T20Is against Bangladesh intact by romping to victory in Dambulla and seal the three-match affair 2-0. Charith Asalanka proved to be the difference maker, his 22-ball 41 ensuring triumph with eight balls to spare.

‌Pitch and Weather

The pitch in Dambulla was its usual dry self and offered plenty for the spinners, albeit the ball did zip through under lights when new and allowed for expansive strokemaking for large parts of the ecounter. The skies were largely clear despite the cloudy forecast albeit humidity levels remained high, causing further frustration for the pacers involved in the encounter.

Toss

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first.

Lineups

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Nuwan Thushara

Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c/ wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Saifuddin, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed

Match Report

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh were dealt two early blows by Nuwan Thushara whose searing yorkers proved to be too good for Tanzid Hasan and skipper Litton Das. Nevertheless, Parvez Hossain Emon kept up his good form and combined with Towhid Hridoy to kickstart a boundary spree, taking the score to 58/2 at the end of the powerplay. Sri Lanka responded by bowling spin from both ends with Maheesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay but Parvez was brave enough to take them on, dispatching both for a maximum each. However, just when he threatened to break free, Theekshana struck before also accounting for Shamim Hossain to put a brake on the Tigers' momentum. Nevertheless, Hridoy kept motoring along at the other end, surviving for 40 runs until the 14th over before Jaker Ali took charge of the innings with a 17-ball cameo of 25. At one point the visitors seemed on course for breaching 180, but Thushara returned at the death to remove Jaker before Eshan Malinga scalped a couple on T20I debut to keep the score to 161/8.

In response, the Lions again came out with a bang, with both Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis eager to deal in boundaries. The pair combined for eight boundaries in the powerplay, combining for 78 runs in nine overs before Rishad Hossain finally delivered the opening breakthrough by getting rid of Nissanka for a 24-ball 33. Namesakes Kusal Perera and Mendis made it a triple whammy by falling quick succession soon after and the Tigers suddenly found themselves back in the contest, with Sri Lanka needing 70 runs in the final eight overs. However, Avishka Fernando and Charith Asalanka steadied the ship by knocking the ball around for a couple of overs before the latter went after Mohammed Saifuddin in the 17th over with two maximums and as many boundaries. The equation thus whittled down to less than run-a-ball, allowing Asalanka to eventually complete the formalities with a four with eight balls still to spare.

Player of the Match

Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka took home the man of the match honours for a composed unbeaten 41 off 22 under pressure while chasing, the veteran ensuring he saw his team across the line by hitting the winnings runs much like he did in the first T20I.