Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
After all the controversy that had been going on in the cricketing fraternity since the squad announcement for the World Cup 2023, Bangladesh finally found a fresh breath of air on Friday as they beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their first warm-up game for the upcoming event.
The biggest relief for Bangladesh was the performance of their opening pair, formed by Liton Das and Tanzid Hasan Tamim, as the controversies mainly surrounded the omission of veteran opener Tamim Iqbal from the squad.
Liton and Tanzid added 131 runs for the opening stand, which was a welcome sign for the Tigers as their openers failed to reach three figures in any of their last 13 innings.
Both openers picked up fifties as Liton scored 61 and Tanzid scored 84. Liton, who had been struggling with the bat this year, scoring a fifty right before the World Cup is a good omen for the Tigers, while Tanzid also boosted his confidence following his dismal start to international cricket.
Another good sign for Bangladesh was Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was promoted to number three in the game, scoring a fifty as the all-rounder might be used across the batting order throughout the tournament.
The day, though, did not start well for Bangladesh as Pathum Nissanka’s fifty got Sri Lanka off to a good start.
However, the Bangladesh spinners ensured that they got back in control, with Shak Mahedi Hasan playing a key role with three wickets. A wicket each for Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mehidy meant the Lankans were bowled out for 263.
In reply, following the good start from Liton and Tanzid, stand-in skipper Mehidy’s unbeaten 67 runs off 64 balls, alongside Mushfiqur Rahim’s unbeaten 35, took Bangladesh home with seven wickets and eight overs to spare.
