Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Asia Cup Super 4 2nd Match Stats Review: Samarawickrama's brilliant knock, Kusal Mendis' half-century and other stats

Sadeera Samarawickrama's solid 93 and good support from Kusal Mendis, who also scored a half-century, helped Sri Lanka secure a 21-run victory. The bowling department was magnificent, with Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, and Matheesha Pathirana all taking three wickets each, contributing significantly to their team's success. With this win, Sri Lanka will enter the next match in the Super 4 stage with confidence as they aim to qualify for the final.

Speaking about how the game unfolded, skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and chose to field first. Hasan Mahmud provided the first breakthrough for Bangladesh, dismissing Karunaratne for 18 runs. Then, Nissanka and Kusal Mendis formed a solid partnership, accumulating 74 runs together. Mendis completed his 50, but Shoriful got both Nissanka and Mendis out in consecutive overs. Wickets continued to fall, but Samarawickrama held firm on the other end, leading his side from the front. He received some support from skipper Shanaka, who contributed 24 runs off 32 balls.

Samarawickrama concluded his innings on 93 runs off 72 balls, including eight fours and two sixes. Thanks to his performance, the home side managed to post a total of 257 on the board in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, the Bangladeshi openers provided a solid start, adding 55 runs to the scoreboard. However, skipper Shanaka struck in back-to-back overs, removing both openers, Mohammad Naim, for 21 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, for 28 runs. Litton Das and Shakib continued their poor form, with both getting out for 15 and three runs, respectively. Then, Mushfiqur Rahim and Towhid Hridoy built a hopeful partnership of 72 runs. However, in the end, Sri Lanka secured their 13th consecutive win in ODIs. Samarawickrama's solid half-century earned him the Player of the Match award.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the Asia Cup Super 4 2nd Match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh:

852 - Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka hold the record for the highest partnership runs in ODIs in 2023, amassing an impressive 852 runs in 13 innings, with an average of 71.

82 - Pathum Nissanka has managed to score only 82 runs at an average of just 16.40 in his last five ODI innings against Bangladesh.

93*- Sadeera Samarawickrama achieved his highest ODI score, an unbeaten 93*. His previous best, 82, was recorded earlier in the same year, 2023, against Ireland.

3 - Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama scored their fourth fifty for Sri Lanka in ODIs in 2023, marking the third-highest number of fifties for Sri Lanka in ODIs in 2023. The top spot is held by Pathum Nissanka with seven fifties, followed by Dimuth Karunaratne with six fifties.

10 - Litton Das has managed to score only 40 runs at an average of just 10.00 in his four ODI innings against Sri Lanka.

35 - Shakib Al Hasan has only scored 35 runs at an average of 5.00 in his last seven ODI innings against Sri Lanka.

82 - Towhid Hridoy achieved his second-best score of 82 in ODI cricket. His highest score of 92 came against Ireland. 

13 - Sri Lanka have won 13 consecutive ODI matches. Australia are on the top with 21 consecutive ODI wins in 2003.