Bangladesh Levels Series After Sri Lanka Crumbles for Under 100!

Bangladesh had faced disappointment in both the Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka. The Lankans also took an early lead in the T20I series by winning the first match.

However, with a brilliant performance, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain led Bangladesh to an 83-run victory in the second T20I, leveling the series.

On Sunday, July 13, after batting first, Bangladesh set a target of 177 runs for Sri Lanka. In response, the Lankans were bundled out for just 94 runs by the Tigers' fiery bowling attack.

This dominant 83-run win means the series is now tied at 1-1, setting up a thrilling decider in the third and final match.

Chasing a challenging target, Kusal Mendis started aggressively, but Shamim Hossain ran him out on the last ball of the second over after he scored 8 runs off 5 balls.

Kusal Perera, batting at number three, failed to make an impact, getting dismissed for a duck by Shoriful Islam.

Following Perera, Avishka Fernando came to the crease but was caught out by Shoriful after scoring just 2 runs off 5 balls, giving Shoriful his second wicket.

Liton Das handed the ball to Saifuddin in the last over of the powerplay.

On the first ball, a wide yorker seemed to have missed the bat, but Miraz encouraged Liton to take a review.

The review paid off, and Saifuddin dismissed Asalanka, leaving the Lankans four wickets down in the powerplay.

Nishan Madushka, however, held one end and fought on. But in the 11th over, Rishad trapped the opener behind the wicket. Madushka scored 30 runs off 29 balls.

A ball later, Chamika Karunaratne offered a catch to Rishad.

Dasun Shanaka was providing good support to Madushka.

However, he became Miraz's first victim on the first ball of the 12th over, scoring 20 runs off 16 balls. Then, Wanindu Hasaranga was out for 8 runs off 6 balls.

Subsequently, Maheesh Theekshana (6) and Binura Fernando (6) were dismissed, leading to Sri Lanka being all out for just 94 runs in 15.2 overs.

This secured an emphatic 83-run victory for Bangladesh.

For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain claimed the highest number of wickets with three. Shoriful Islam and Saifuddin took two wickets each, while Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan Miraz each picked up one.

Earlier, after losing the toss and batting first, Sri Lankan pacer Dilshan Madushanka clean bowled Tanzid Hasan Tamim's stumps in the very first over, who departed for a duck after 3 balls.

In the second over, Tamim Iqbal played cautiously for a few balls from Binura Fernando but edged a boundary attempt on the last ball of the over, getting caught out for 5 runs off 8 balls.

After losing two quick wickets, Towhid Hridoy and Liton Das steadied the innings for Bangladesh.

The team progressed with their contributions, but Hridoy couldn't reach a fifty, scoring 31 runs off 25 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Miraz was caught out two balls later.

However, Liton Das held one end, fighting on. He reached his fifty off 39 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes. Shamim Hossain Patwari provided good support, and with their partnership, Bangladesh crossed the 150-run mark in 18 overs.

In the first ball of the 19th over, Liton was caught out trying to hit Theekshana over the top. The Bangladesh captain scored 76 runs off 50 balls.

Towards the end, Zakir Hasan was out for 3 runs off 2 balls, and Shamim, trying to take strike for his fifty, gave away his wicket, scoring 48 runs off 27 balls.

Ultimately, with Saifuddin's unbeaten 6 runs off 2 balls, Bangladesh posted a competitive total of 177 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.