BAN v SL 2021, 3rd ODI: Who won today's match?
Sri Lanka avoided an embarrassing whitewash defeat by recording a 97-run victory in the 3rd ODI of the series against Bangladesh. The Islanders brought their 'A' game to the table in Dhaka as Kusal Perera recorded his first win as Sri Lankan skipper.
After electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a 286-run total in the first innings. Captain Kusal Perera led from the front with a fantastic century, while Dhananjaya de Silva backed him up with a fifty. Despite Taskin Ahmed's four-wicket haul, Bangladesh could not control the run flow in the 3rd ODI.
Chasing 287 to complete a historic clean-sweep, Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals. Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain tried their best to take the home team close to the target. However, Dushmantha Chameera's 5/16 guided Sri Lanka to the win.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 286/6 (Kusal Perera 120, Dhananjaya de Silva 55; Taskin Ahmed 4/46, Shoriful Islam 1/56) beat Bangladesh 189 (Mahmudullah 53, Mosaddek Hossain 51; Dushmantha Chameera 5/16, Ramesh Mendis 2/40) by 97 runs.
Kusal Perera and Dushmantha Chameera were the heroes for Sri Lanka in the 3rd ODI
After failing to contribute much with the willow in the first two ODIs, Kusal Perera played an excellent knock of 120 runs in the 3rd ODI. He smashed 11 fours and a six in his 122-ball inning. His opening partner, Danushka Gunathilaka, stitched an 82-run stand with the skipper.
However, Bangladesh bounced back by taking two wickets in the same over but Perera steadied the boat with vice-captain Kusal Mendis. After Bangladesh dismissed Perera and Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga joined forces to take the visitors past 285.
Dushmantha Chameera ran through the Bangladeshi top order in the powerplay. He sent Naim Sheikh, Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Tamim Iqbal back to the pavilion before Bangladesh's score had touched 30.
Ramesh Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga backed Chameera well. Sri Lankan bowlers fired in unison to ensure that Bangladesh could not touch the 200-run mark despite half-centuries from Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain.
Who won the Man of the Match award in the 3rd ODI between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?
Dushmantha Chameera was adjudged the Player of the Match in the 3rd ODI of the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series. The right-arm pacer recorded his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs to end Bangladesh's winning streak at home.
Earlier this year, Bangladesh blanked West Indies 3-0 in a home ODI series. The Tamim Iqbal-led outfit was on its way to another clean-sweep, but Chameera's magnificent performance did not allow them to win the 3rd ODI.