Bangladesh clinches historical T20 series victory over Sri Lanka

Bangladesh secured a historic T20 series win over Sri Lanka, defeating the hosts by 8 wickets in the series-deciding match at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Wednesday (July 16).

After losing the Test and ODI series, Liton Das' team bounced back with a dominant performance, clinching the T20 series 2-1. This victory marked Bangladesh's first-ever T20 series win against Sri Lanka on their own soil.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bat first. Despite a promising start from openers Pathum Nissanka and Kushal Mendis, who accumulated 14 runs off the first 5 balls, Sri Lanka's batting collapsed.

Kushal Mendis, who was in great form, was dismissed for 14 after attempting a six. Mendis followed soon after, falling to Towhid Hridoy off Shoriful Islam's delivery. The Lankan side continued to falter, losing two more quick wickets, including Kushal Perera, who was dismissed for 5 runs, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 19 for 3.

Sri Lanka could not recover after the early setbacks and finished their innings at 132 runs for 7 wicket in 20 overs. Pathum Nissanka was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 46 runs, while Dasun Shanaka contributed 35 runs.

For Bangladesh, spinner Mehedi Hasan was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets for 11 runs in 4 overs. Along with him, Shoriful, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shamim Hossain Patwari took 1 wicket each.

Chasing a target of 133, Bangladesh's innings began with a shock as they lost their first wicket, Parvez Hossain Emon, on the very first ball. However, captain Liton Das and Tanjid Hasan Tamim steadied the ship, putting together a 74-run partnership. Das was dismissed for 32, but Tamim remained unshaken at the crease, scoring an unbeaten 73 runs off 47 balls, guiding Bangladesh to victory.

Tanjid's knock was supported by Towhid Hridoy's 27 runs off 25 balls, ensuring a comfortable win for Bangladesh, who reached the target with 21 balls to spare.