[Watch] Kusal Mendis' stunner to dismiss Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan cheaply in Asia Cup 2023

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan's 2023 Asia Cup got off to a poor start courtesy of a stunning catch by Kusal Mendis behind the stumps.

Shakib, who is standing in for injured Tamim Iqbal as the captain, came in to bat when his side were 25/2. He hit a boundary and looked assured in strike rotation but Matheesha Pathirana's extra bounce got him by surprise in the 11th over.

Pathirana pitched up the third ball of his over, allowing Shakib to drive before pulling his length back. The ball nipped back slightly despite being short and was more than enough for the batter to mistime his cut. It kissed the top edge of his bat and flew low to the left of Mendis who showed brilliant reflexes to grab it.

Here's a video of the wicket:

The left-hander had to go back for 5 (11), leaving his team struggling at 36/3. This was a continuation of his poor form from the Lanka Premier League where he could score only 138 runs at an average of 17.25 in 10 matches.

Earlier, Maheesh Theekshana struck in just the second over of the innings to catch Tanzid Hasan plumb in front for a two-ball duck. Mohammad Naim then threw his wicket away against Dhananjaya de Silva for 16(23).

Sri Lanka dominating after Shakib's wicket in rain-affected ODI

After the captain's wicket, Bangladesh were helped by a small partnership between Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto with a short rain break in between. The duo ran well between the wickets and took the score to 95 before Hridoy stepped down the track, only to get out trapped in front by Sri Lanka's captain Dasun Shanaka.

Since then, Shanto has been joined by veteran Mushfqiur Rahim who averages 74 against Sri Lanka in ODIs and would be the biggest hope for Bangladesh now. There are clouds peeping around though and can play spoilsport.

Catch all the live-action here.

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