Towhid's fight goes in vain, Bangladesh lose to Sri Lanka by 21 runs

Bangladesh need to win against Sri Lanka on Saturday if they want to bring their Asia Cup campaign back on track after a crushing defeat to Pakistan in their first match in the Super 4.

In Lahore, Bangladesh got rolled over by Pakistan's fast bowling trio and lost the match by seven wickets.

On Saturday, the batters will be up against a varied Sri Lankan which had bundled out Bangladesh for just 164 earlier in the tournament.

The odds are stacked up against the Tigers as they need to bounce back from the batting woes and end Sri Lanka's 12-match winning streak in ODIs to keep their hopes of playing the final alive.

Shakib Al Hasan maintained his toss winning streak in the Asia Cup and this time, for a change, opted to bowl first.

Bangladesh made one change, brining in left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed in place of all-rounder Afif Hossain.

Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

Sri Lanka have won 12 ODIs on the trot and are currently tied with Pakistan and South Africa as the holders of the second longest winning streak in ODIs. If they win today, they will overtake Pakistan and South Africa for the second position in the list.

However, they are a long way away from the top-spot holders Australia, who have won 21 ODIs at a stretch.

Taskin came close to giving Bangladesh its first breakthrough in the opening over.

The pacer beat Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka twice on the inside , one of which took an inside edge and went to the ropes.

In the fourth ball, his in-swinger struck Nissanka on the pads and the umpire gave it out.

However, Nissanka reviewed the decision and the replay showed that the ball would bounce over the stumps.

Nissanka then hit a gorgeous cover drive in the penultimate ball for four runs before once again getting beaten by Taskin in the last ball.

After the 1st over, Sri Lanka are 8-0.

Bangladeshi pacers are testing Sri Lankan openers but are struggling to keep the runs in check as Shoriful Islam conceded eight runs in his first over as well.

He started with a wide and then got hit for a four by Dimuth Karunaratne through the leg side.

He bowled well for the rest if the overs, extracting some swing with the new ball.

Sri Lanka are 16-0 after two overs.

Taskin is moving the new ball around but so far the Sri Lankan opener have been up to the challenge. The hosts have moved onto 18-0 after three overs.

Captain Shakib removed Shoriful and gave Hasan Mahmud the new ball for the first time in the tournament, who bowled a testing over which cost Bangladesh three runs.

Sri Lanka are 21-0 after four overs.

After getting for two boundaries in the first couple of balls, Hasan had the last smile against Karunaratne.

The ball pitched in the good length and then moved away from the right hander, took an outside edge and went straight into the gloves of Mushfiqur Rahim.

Kusal Mendis has joined Nissanka in the middle. After six overs, Sri Lanka are 35-1.

Shakib brought himself into the attack in the ninth over and conceded only one run.

Bangladesh have already used all three pacers in the 1st powerplay. Shakib is the fourth bowler to bowl inside the first 10 overs. And like the pacers, Shakib also benefited from the extra bounce of the pitch.

Sri Lanka are 48-1 after nine overs.

Nasum Ahmed was the fifth bowler to bowl in the 1st powerplay, bowling 10th over and conceding three runs.

Sri Lanka ended the 1st powerplay as the happier of the two teams as they have reached 51-1 in helpful bowling conditions.

All three Bangladesh pacers extracted help from the pitch but were inconsistent at times and the Sri Lankan batters took full toll of that.

Sri Lanka have ended the 1st powerplay with a healthy run-rate and with the loss of just one wicket.

Opener Nissanka is on 20 off 26 balls while Mendis is batting on eight off 17 balls.

Taskin returned to the attack for his second spell in the 12th over, which went for four runs, as skipper Shakib continues making swift changes in the bowling attack.

In the 1st powerplay, Shakib gave Shoriful just one over before taking him off the attack for Hasan. Then, he removed Taskin from the attack after giving him three overs and brought back Shoriful.

Shakib and Nasum then bowled the final two overs of the 1st powerplay. Nasum then got replaced by Taskin after bowling just one over.

Sri Lanka have reached 59-1 after 12 overs.

Nissanka chipped Shakib straight down the ground to hit the first boundary for Sri Lanka after 36 balls.

The Bangladesh bowlers have reduced Sri Lanka's run-rate after the 1st powerplay with some measured bowling. Shakib, Nasum and Taskin have jointly given away 29 runs in seven overs since the 1st powerplay.

However, the wicket has remained elusive.

After 17 overs, Sri Lanka are 80-1 with Nissanka and Mendis batting on 35 and 21 respectively.

Bangladesh nearly had their second wicket but Mushfiq couldn't hold on to a difficult chance against Nissanka, giving him a second life on 36.

Hasan returned to the attack in the 19th over an induced an outside edge off the bat of Mendis.

Mushfiq dove to his right and got to the ball but couldn't hold on.

Later in the over. Nissanka and Mendis completed their 50-run partnership.

Sri Lanka are 85-1 after 19 overs.

Shamim drops Mendis on 29 off Shoriful in the 22nd over.

Mendis instinctively went for a pull shot to a short ball which went straight to Shamim at the boundary.

But Shamim was a few steps ahead of the ropes and couldn't get into the right position to take the catch. Instead he palmed the ball over the ropes for a six.

Later in the over, Mendis edged a ball through the vacant slip cordon for four runs to rub more salt on the wound.

The over went for 12 runs and Sri Lanka have reached 103-1.

Bangladesh finally got the wicket they were waiting for so long, as Shoriful trapped Nissanka for LBW to remove him for 40 off 60 balls in the 24th over.

Nissanka tried to guide the ball through backward point but the ball came back sharply and hit him on the pads before touching the bat.

Nissanka reviewed the decision unsuccessfully. Sri Lanka are now 108-2 after 23.2 overs.

Mendis threw away his wicket almost immediately after reaching his 24th half-century as Shoriful gets his second wicket in the match.

Mendis completed his half-century off 69 balls with a pull shot that went for four.

Four balls later, the right-hander tried to guide a short pitched delivery from Shoriful over the wicketkeeper's head to the boundary but ended up giving a simple catch to Taskin.

Charith Assalanka joins Sadeera Sarawickrama to the middle.

After 26 overs, Sri Lanka are 121-6.

Skipper Shakib handed the ball to off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz for the first time in the match right as left-hander Assalanka arrived at the middle.

Miraz started well, going for two runs in his first over as Sri Lanka are 123-3 after 27 overs.

Bangladesh got its fourth wicket as Assalanka got caught off Taskin in the 32nd over.

Assalanka tried to hit the fast bowler over the inside circle but mistimed the shot. The ball didn't clear the 30-yeard circle and Shakib took the catch to reduce Sri Lanka to 144-4 in 31.5 overs.

Assalanka departs for 10 off 23 balls. Dhananjaya de Silva joins Sadeera at the middle.

The sky has suddenly gotten a lot gloomier in Colombo, as a giant dark cloud is currently hovering over the R Premadasa Stadium. The groundsmen are in position besides the boundary rope, ready to run in with the plastic cover when the umpires call for them.

Bangladeshi bowlers are currently dictating the pace of the game as the hosts are 164-4 after 37 overs.

Hasan Mahmud capitalised on a long period of sustained pressure by removing Dhananjaya for six off 16 balls.

Hasan pitched the ball on good length and extracted some movement from the pitch, which was enough to induce an outside edge which went straight into the hands of Mushfiq.

Sri Lanka lose their fifth wicket for 164 runs in 37.1 overs. The wicket has brought skipper Dasun Shanaka to the middle.

Shoriful bowled a testing 40th over which went for three runs as Sri Lanka reached 176-5 after 40 overs.

The Bangladesh bowlers, especially the pacers, have been dominant since the 1st powerplay. Now its up to them to finish strong and restrict the hosts for a gettable total.

For Sri Lanka, Sadeera, who is batting well on 39 off 40 balls, and skipper Dasun Shanaka, who is on six off 11 balls, hold the key if they are to post a decent total.

Left-arm spinner bowled out in the 41st over which cost Bangladesh seven runs to complete his quota of 10 overs.

Although he didn't get any wickets, Nasum helped build pressure on the batters with dot balls and the other bowlers reaped the benefit.

Sadeera completed an excellent half-century under difficult circumstances, reaching the milestone off 45 balls in the 42nd over.

He completed the fifty with a four off Shoriful. The over cost Bangladesh 10 runs as Sri Lanka are seven runs away from 200 with 48 deliveries to go.

Taskin's over cost Bangladesh nine runs as Sri Lanka reached 202-5 after 43 overs.

Sadeera is turning into a big problem for Bangladesh as he hit his fifth four in the innings in the over has moved on to 56 off just 49 balls.

Shanaka at the other end is on 15 off 20 balls.

Shakib returned to the attack and bowled a tight over, conceding just four runs in the 44th over.

With 36 balls to go, Sri Lanka are 206-5.

Sadeera and Shanaka brought up a 50-run stand off 49 balls as Sri Lanka took 11 runs off the 45th over bowled by Taskin.

Sri Lanka are now on 217-5 with 30 balls to go.

Shakib continued in the attack and bowled another tight over, conceding just five runs in the 46th as Sri Lanka are 222-5.

Hasan claimed his third wicket in the match, this time dismissing Sri Lanka captain Shanaka for 24 off 32 balls.

Hasan returned to the attack in the 47th over. He conceded two runs in his first three deliveries. Shanaka then tried to scoop him behind the keeper but ended up playing the ball on to his stumps.

The over cost Bangladesh just three runs as Sri Lanka are 226-6 with three overs to go. Sadeera, batting on 68 off 60 balls, holds the key for the hosts.

Shakib went for 11 runs in his 10th and final over to finish on 0-44.

Sadeera has moved of to 76 off 64 balls as Sri Lanka are 237-6 with 12 balls to go.

Some handy footwork from Hasan gave Bangladesh their seventh strike as he ran out Wellalage for three at the striker's end.

Sadeera tried to take a quick single in the third ball but Hasan outran the non-striker Wellalage and ran him out by kicking the ball onto the stumps.

The over cost Bangladesh nine runs as Sri Lanka are 246-7 with six balls to go.

Sadeera is on 83 off 68 balls but won't be on strike in the final over as Theekshana took a single in the final ball.

Taskin started the final over with a well-directed bouncer that Theekshana edged to Mushfiq.

New batter Kasun Rajitha will be on strike while Sadeera is at the non-striker's end.

Sadeera hit Taskin for a six and a four in the final over before getting caught in the final ball of the match as the hosts finished to 257-9 in their 50 overs.

The final over cost Bangladesh 11 overs as Sri Lanka managed to finish well , scoring 81 runs in the final 10 overs.

Sadeera was the standout batter for Sri Lanka as his counterattacking 93 off 72 balls enabled the hosts to post a decent total after they had lost half their side 164.

The Bangladesh pacers had another good day at the office.

Taskin and Hasan took three wickets each while Shoriful claimed two wickets while thespinners, Shakib, Miraz and Nasum all went wicketless.

However, the pacers were a tad on the expensive side in the match, as all of them conceded six runs or more per over.

On the other hand, the spinners were very economical. Nasum was excellent in the middle overs as his tight bowling brought Sri Lanka's scoring rate.

Shakib did his part in the middle overs and then came back to bowl three more in the death overs as well, where he conceded 20 runs off 18 balls.

Bangladesh are fresh of an abysmal batting performance against Pakistan, where they got rolled over inside 39 overs for 193.

The last time Bangladesh batted against Sri Lanka, they got bundled out for 164.

So, chasing down 258 runs against Sri Lanka on a pitch that has something to offer for the bowlers will be a tough task for the Bangladesh batters.

Bangladesh replaced Afif with Nasum in the match, hence they are virtually have one batter less than the previous match.

Will Miraz return to his old position to strengthen the lower order or will he again open the innings for Bangladesh alongside Mohammad Naim, is left to be seen.

Naim and Miraz survived the first over from Kasun Rajitha.

Rajitha started with a couple of wides but then found his line and troubled Naim and then Miraz in the final ball of the over with swing.

Miraz welcomed Sri Lanka's mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana into the attack with a couple of boundaries through the off-side.

He hit the first boundary with a late cut and the second one with a square drive.

After two overs, Bangladesh are 12-0 with Miraz on eight and Naim on two.

Naim edged a ball from Rajitha but was lucky that the ball went flying wide of the diving first slip fielder and raced to the ropes.

After three overs, Bangladesh are 20-0.

Shanaka joins the attack in the fourth over and conceded seven runs.

The Sri Lankan bowlers are troubling the batters but so far the Bangladesh openers have survived.

After four overs, Bangladesh are 27-0.

Naim was completely beaten by an in swinger from Shanaka but was lucky as the ball went centimetres over the bails.

Bangladesh are off to a cautious start so far, scoring 39-0 after eight overs. Miraz and Naim are unbeaten on 20 and 17 respectively.

Naim and Miraz have done well so far as openers as Bangladesh got off to a solid start, reaching 47-0 after the 1st powerplay.

Miraz has been the more comfortable batter of the two, making 22 off 23 balls. Naim has looked shaky at times but has survived to make 19 off 37 balls.

Miraz hit Matheesha Pathirana through the leg-side for a boundary to bring up the 50-run opening stand between himself and Naim.

It took the pair 62 balls to cross the 50-run mark. Eight runs came off the 11th over, Bangladesh are 55-0, Miraz is on 28, Naim has made 20.

Miraz threw away a good start and gifted his wicket to Shanaka with a careless shot.

Miraz tried to pull a short ball but couldn't time the ball as it went straight into the hands of substitute fielder Hemantha.

With the wicket, the opening stand ends on 55.

Naim looked uncomfortable in the middle and was struggling to rotate the strike. The left-hander has now been put out of his misery by Shanaka.

Shanaka pitched in a short delivery. Naim was in no position to pull the ball and awkwardly fended at it. The ball took a top-edge and went high up in the before nestling in the gloves of the wicketkeeper.

Naim departed after 21 off 46 balls. Bangladesh have lost both their openers after a 50-run stand and are 60-1 after 13.4 overs.

Bangladesh are now in deep trouble as skipper Shakib is gone.

Shakib flayed his bat at a widish delivery from Pathirana and gave a faint edge to the keeper.

The on-field umpire had initially given it not out but after Sri Lanka took a review that decision got overturned.

Bangladesh are now 70-3 after 15.4 overs.

Bangladesh lost their fourth wicket as Litton got caught behind for 15 against Wellalage.

Litton tried to hit the ball on the back foot but ended up giving an inside edge that went straight into the gloves of Mendis.

Towhidy Hridoy has now joined Mushfiqur Rahim at the middle.

After a decent start, Bangladesh are now teetering at 84-4 after 19 overs.

Bangladesh ended the 1st powerplay on 47-0. But in the next 10 overs, the Tigers have lost four wickets for just 37 runs and find themselves in the deep end early into their 258-run chase.

Openers Miraz, Naim, skipper Shakib and Litton are already back to the pavilion.

Mushfiq and Towhid are now at the middle, and are struggling to score runs off the Lankan bowlers.

Towhid hit Theekshana for four, which was the first boundary in the Bangladesh innings after a gap of 53 balls.

Towhid and Mushfiq took three more singles in the 25th over as Bangladesh reached the three figures mark.

Towhid took a single off Wellalage to complete the 50-run partnership between him and Mushfiq off 85 balls in the 33rd over.

Bangladesh are now 135-4 after 33 overs with Mushfiq and Towhid batting on 23 and 34 respectively.

Bangladesh's hopes in the match hinges on this partnership.

Towhid hit a four off a free hit as Bangladesh took 10 runs off of Pathirana's over.

Pathirana started the over with a no-ball and the Towhid hit him straight down the ground for a four in the free-hit.

Bangladesh are now 149-4 after 35 overs. Mushfiq is on 26 while Towhid is six runs away from a half-century.

Mushfiq and Towhid's partnership ends in the 38th over with the former getting out caught off Shanaka.

Mushfiq came down the ground and tried to hit the medium pacer over the in field. However, he couldn't time the ball and got caught at mid-off by Rajitha.

This wicket ended a 72-run partnership. Shamim Hossain has now joined Towhid at the middle.

After slim returns in the first three matches in the Asia Cup, Towhid has hit a valiant half-century against Sri Lanka when his team was in dire straits.

Towhid completed the half-century off 73 balls with a four off Shanaka.

Towhid now has to bat deep into the innings if Bangladesh to pose a challenge to chase down the 258-run target.

After 38 overs, Bangladesh are 160-5.

Towhid hit a couple of boundaries off Theekshana in the 39th over as Bangladesh are 173-5 with 11 overs to go.

Towhid has moved onto by 62 off 79 balls while Shamim is batting on three. Bangladesh need 85 runs off 66 balls to win.

Bangladesh got four runs off the 40th over and are left with 81 runs to get in 60 balls to win against Sri Lanka.

Towhid, who is batting on 65 off 81 balls, holds the key to the chase. Shamim, who is on four, needs to give support to his Under-19 teammate if Bangladesh are to chase down this total.

Bangladesh could get only three runs from Wellalage in the 41st over.

This was the left-arm spinner's last over in the match and finishes with figures of 26-1.

Bangladesh need 78 runs off 54 balls.

Shamim got struck on the pads against Theekshana in the 42nd over and was adjudged LBW.

Shamim made five runs in his 10-ball stay at the middle. Bangladesh are now on 181-6 after 41.3 overs.

Nasum Ahmed joins Towhid, who is batting on 67 off 87 balls.

Towhid hit a boundary through the off-side off Pathirana and moved on to 76 as Bangladesh reached 190-6 after 43 overs.

The Tigers need 68 runs off 42 balls to win.

Towhid Hridoy's heroic knock ended in a slightly unfortunate manner.

Towhid got hit on the pads by Theekshana and was given out LBW. Towhid was confident the ball would miss the leg stump and reviewed the decision.

But replays showed that the ball would slightly clip the leg stump and the decision remained unchanged due to umpire's call.

Towhid finished on 82 off 97 balls in an innings that had seven fours and a six.

Theekshana then also dismissed Tasking Ahmed LBW for one as Bangladesh are eight wickets down for 200 after 44 overs.

Bangladesh got nine runs from Pathirana's over, courtesy of a leg-bye which went for runs.

Bangladesh now need 49 off 30 balls while Sri Lanka need just two wickets.

Tailenders Nasum Ahmed and Shoriful Islam swung from the hips but couldn't make any fruitful connection against Theekshana as seven runs came off the 46th over.

Pathirana smashed the wickets of Shoriful in the first ball, bringing Sri Lanka one wicket away from victory.

New batter Hasan stroked and edged a couple of boundaries and the over yielded eight runs.

Nasum hit a six off Theekshana in an over that yielded 12 runs as Bangladesh find themselves 22 runs away from victory in 2 overs.

Pathirana clean bowled Nasum with an inch perfect yorker to bowl out Bangladesh for 236-9 in 48.1 overs to complete a 21-run victory for Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Sri Lanka have now won 13 ODIs on the trot the second longest winning streak in ODIs.

The longest winning streak belongs to Australia (21).

Towhid Hridoy kept Bangladesh in the contest till the 44th over with a valiant 82 off 97 balls.

He came to middle when Bangladesh 83-4. He then formed a partnership with Mushfiq to save the team from an early capitulation.

After Mushfiq departed, Towhid carried on his lone fight but in the end all his efforts went in vain.

Had the top-order shown the same maturity as Towhid, the result of the match could've been different.

Theekshana and Pathirana are the biggest threats in the Sri Lankan attack. Skipper Shanaka, on the other hand, is an all-rounder more known for his batting.

However, although all three of them took three wickets each against Bangladesh, it was Shanaka's three wickets that hurt Bangladesh more.

Shanaka dismissed both openers in his opening spell and then returned to break the Towhid-Mushfiq stand by removing the latter.

Theekshana then took the big wicket of Towhid and Pathirana cleaned up the tail.

Bangladesh are virtually out of the race of the final.

They have one more match remaining in the Asia Cup, which is against India on 15 September on Colombo.

Bangladesh will get six days to reflect on what went wrong for them in the Asia Cup before playing their final match in the tournament.