Shorna Akter's 45-ball 60 went in vain as an all-round performance from Sri Lanka helped the visitors secure a 25-run win in the first T20I in Sylhet. Sri Lanka's charge was led by half centuries from Harshitha Samarawickrama (35-ball 61) and Imesha Dulani (40-ball 55), and Chamari Athapaththu's all-round contribution (32 & 2-19) as they took a 1-0 lead in the series on Tuesday.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka lost opener Hasini Perera early, but Athapaththu and Dulani controlled the innings despite a slow start. The second-wicket pair added 42 runs in 32 balls before the former became Sultana Khatun's second victim of the day. However, it was an 80-run stand between Dulani and Smaarawickrama that laid the foundation for Sri Lanka's total of 161 for 4.
While Samarawickrama had clubbed Khatun for a six in the 14th over, she pressed the accelerator to her innings soon after Dulani brought up her half-century. She creamed a boundary and a six off Fariha Trisna through deep mid wicket in the 18th over, and then hit Nahida Akter for a four in the next before bringing up her half-century.
Before falling in the last ball of the innings, she picked up 12 runs off the final over to place her team in a comfortable position.
Bangladesh's openers Dilara Akter and Juairiya Ferdous provided them with a brisk start, blazing away to 39 runs in 21 balls before the latter was out stumped to Athapaththu. Bangladesh couldn't capitalise on that start, and the visitors clawed their way back with quick wickets.
In a space of 12 balls, they were reduced to 44 for 4, and left reeling in the chase. Shorna and Sobhana Mostary steadied the chase briefly with a 39-run stand, but the scoring rate had dipped to run-a-ball by then, forcing them to go on the attack. Athapaththu ended that stand as well, in the 14th over, having Mostary stumped on 16.
Even as Shorna continued to wage a lone battle, the required rate had mounted significantly. Without much support from the other end, she went past her half-century before getting run out on the final ball of the innings.
@B0$: Sri Lanka 161/4 in 20 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 61, Imesha Dulani 55; Sultana Khatun 2-29) beat Bangladesh 136/7 in 20 overs (Shorna Akter 60, Dilara Akter 23; Chamari Athapaththu 2-19, Malki Madara 2-31) by 25 runs
