Tigers tame Lankan lions in scintillating WC win

Tigers ended their six-match losing streak with the three-wicket win against the Sri Lankans on Monday night in eventful ICC World Cup fixture at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
With this, Bangladesh also managed to hunt down their competitive target of 280 in what is first victory over Sri Lanka in five attempts in an ODI World Cup. That not only ends Sri Lanka's campaign in this World Cup, but also keeps Bangladesh afloat for a spot in the Champions Trophy in 2025.

What was 210 for 2 at one stage become 269 for 7 as Bangldesh stuttered and Sri Lanka hoped for a miracle, but Shanto's 90 and Shakib's 82 had set up a solid base already.

Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a 101-ball 90 and Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan smashed a 65-ball 82 to help their side to only their second victory of the tournament.

The duo put on a 169-run stand for the third wicket, Bangladesh first 100-plus partnership of the tournament and their highest-ever for the third wicket, which helped trump their late hiccup that saw Bangladesh lose five wickets for 72 runs. 

Sri Lanka pacer Dilshan Madushanka picked up three wickets, while Maheesh Theekshana scalped two. The win propelled Bangladesh to seventh on the table above England, Netherlands, and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh skipper Shakib All Hasan was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round show.

Earlier, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad departed in consecutive overs, reducing Bangladesh to six down for 256. Mushfiqur, who scored a 13-ball 10, became Dilshan Madushanka's third victim of the innings when he was castled by the left-armer coming round the wicket in the 38th over, while Mahmudullah got yorked by right-arm spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the following over.

Najmul Hossain Shanto missed out on a ton when he bottom-edged a delivery by Angelo Mathews onto the stumps in the 34th over to leave Bangladesh four down for 216 after 34 overs. Shanto put away 12 fours for his 101-ball 90 before chopping it on. Sri Lanka pacer Angelo Mathews managed to dismiss Shakib Al Hasan but after the left-hander had managed to score a 65-ball 82.

Shakib, who appealed to the umpire for a time out against Mathews in the first innings that saw him return after he had reached the crease, hit two sixes and 12 fours for his knock. He scooped a slower ball to cover which broke a 169-run stand, Bangladesh's record third-wicket partnership in a World Cup.

Mathews didn't forget to give Shakib a sendoff as his muted celebration saw him looking at his wrist indicating a sense of the time out.   

Mathews pointed at his wrist and gave Shakib a send off saying it was "time to go".

Dilshan Madushanka struck early for Sri Lanka, removing opener Tanzid Hasan for nine off five balls. Then, Madushanka struck again in the seventh over, removing Litton Das (23).
Shakib then partnered with Shanto and steadied the ship. Their partnership is now Bangladesh's highest partnership in any wicket against Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Charith Asalanka's second ODI hundred saw off regular strikes from Bangladesh to take Sri Lanka to 279 in the World Cup match. In an eventful innings played in the midst of severe pollution in Delhi, Angelo Mathews became the first player to be 'timed out' in international cricket.

Bangladesh hit the right notes from the get go when wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim completed a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss the returning Kusal Perera in the first over.

Shoriful Islam's next over though wasn't so successful though, with Pathum Nissanka hitting three boundaries and setting the base for his steady 61-run stand with Kusal Mendis.

Both batters however fell in quick succession. Mendis, who struggled for timing and took 14 balls to get off the mark, hit a six, his first in his last six innings after a whirlwind start to the tournament, before holing out to long-on. It took Shakib Al Hasan all of three balls on the day to pick his first wicket. Pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib then followed up in the next over and had Nissanka bowled for 41 off 36 balls, giving Bangladesh some control back.

That led Sri Lanka to another period of recovery through a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka. Samarawickrama scored at run a ball, hitting four boundaries, before falling prey to Shakib's flight again and holing out to deep midwicket. But what happened thereafter divided opinions.

In the 25th over, Mathews was readying to take strike when his helmet strap broke. He gestured to the dugout for a new helmet but didn't consult with Shakib Al Hasan, the opposition captain, who went on to successfully appeal for "timed out" to onfield umpires.

In the meantime, Asalanka got to his fifty off 56 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking amidst fall of wickets at the other end. His 78-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva helped Sri Lanka get their bearing back even as Mathews led intense discussions in the dugout about his dismissal.

De Silva, scored 34 off 36 but failed to get to the pitch of a delivery after stepping out and was stumped off Mehidy Hasan's bowling. Asalanka thereafter continued to pick the odd boundary and got to his hundred off 101 balls in the 48th over. It was the ninth hundred scored at the venue, the most in this World Cup.

Maheesh Theekshana added 22 important runs but once Asalanka was caught in the deep off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Sri Lanka went on to lose their last three wickets for 1 run and were bowled out with three balls remaining in the innings.

Timed out - that is one cricket term that went viral on Monday. It all started with Sri Lanka' s Angelo Mathews becoming the first cricketer in international cricket to be timed out with Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealing for the dismissal. The incident happened in the 25th over when the 36-year-old walked out to bat after the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama but found that the helmet strap was broken and immediately signalled for a replacement instead of facing the bowler Shakib Al Hasan.

This prompted Bangladesh to appeal for a 'time out'. Mathews was seen having an animated discussion with umpire Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth, explaining that he had some issue with the helmet strap. He also approached Shakib, who didn't withdraw his appeal and the Sri Lankan cricketer was forced to leave the field.

A furious Mathews, who made a late entry into the World Cup as a replacement player, walked back to the dug out, smashing his helmet outside the boundary rope in disgust.
However, later, Angelo Mathews had the perfect payback as he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan. And then gestured 'time to go' with a sarcastic smile on his face.

According to article 40.1.1 of the ICC playing conditions for the 2023 World Cup, "After the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball, or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within two minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out."

Article 40.1.2 says: "In the event of an extended delay in which no batter comes to the wicket, the umpires shall adopt the procedure of Law 16.3 (ICC Match referee awarding a match). For the purposes of that clause the start of the action shall be taken as the expiry of the two minutes referred to above."

Though it has never happened in international cricket, there have been six such instances in domestic cricket, including one in the match between Tripura and Orissa at Cuttack in 1997 when Hemulal Yadav was at the receiving end.

The dismissal, the first instance in international cricket across all formats, including women's cricket, thus added another another chapter in the bitter rivalry between the two teams.