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COLOMBO: Mahedi Hasan’s impressive four-wicket haul, combined with an unbeaten half-century from opening batter Tanzid Hasan, propelled Bangladesh to a convincing eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I at R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka managed to score only 132- 7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Opener Pathum Nissanka was the top scorer for the hosts, making a cautious 46 runs off 39 deliveries, which included four boundaries.
Experienced all-rounder Dasun Shanaka was the other notable contributor with an unbeaten 35 runs from 25 balls. Aside from them, only middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis, who scored 21 runs, reached double figures.
For Bangladesh, Mahedi Hasan was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets for just 11 runs in his four overs against the experienced Sri Lanka lineup. He was well-supported by Shamim Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam, each taking one wicket.
For his outstanding bowling performance, Mahedi was named Player of the Match.
Chasing a modest target of 133 runs, Bangladesh comfortably knocked the winning runs, losing just two wickets in the process with 21 balls to spare.
However, their innings got off to a rough start, with Parvez Hossain Emon dismissed for a golden duck on the very first delivery. This early setback didn’t faze the visitors, as informed skipper Litton Das stabilized the innings alongside Tanzid Hasan, forming a 74-run partnership.
This partnership ended in the eighth over when Kamindu Mendis caught Das at deep backward square leg. The Bangladesh captain contributed 32 runs from 26 balls, hitting two fours and one six.
Tanzid then partnered with Towhid Hridoy to ensure a smooth run chase, adding an unbeaten 59 runs together.
The left-handed opener ended as the top scorer for Bangladesh, with 73 runs off 47 deliveries, featuring one four and six sixes, while Hridoy scored an unbeaten 27 runs from 25 balls.
The 2-1 victory allowed Bangladesh to win the T20I series against Sri Lanka for the first time.
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