Bangladesh made cricket history by defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 in a T20 series for the first time ever. In a dominant 8-wicket win under lights at the Premadasa Stadium, Tanzeed Hasan starred with a brilliant 73*, ending a month-long tour on a high. Here’s how Sri Lanka crumbled, and Bangladesh rose.
Bangladesh secured a landmark achievement by winning the final T20 match against Sri Lanka by 8 wickets with 21 balls remaining, sealing a 2-1 series win and defeating Sri Lanka in a T20 series for the first time in cricket history.
Until now, Bangladesh had never clinched a T20 series victory against Sri Lanka. Their best result was a 1-1 series draw during a two-match tour in Sri Lanka in 2017.
The final T20 also marked the conclusion of Bangladesh’s month-long tour, which had included a 1-0 Test series loss and a 2-1 defeat in the three-match ODI series. The T20 series win was a significant silver lining. At the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first under floodlights. However, they managed only 132 for 7. Bangladesh responded decisively, reaching 133 for 2 in just 16.3 overs.
Opener Tanzid Hasan was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 73 off 47 balls, including six sixes and one four. His explosive batting anchored Bangladesh’s successful chase.
Sri Lanka’s decision to bat first was questionable, especially given that the team chasing has won 38 of the last matches at the venue. That call backfired as Sri Lanka crumbled to 66 for 5 in the early overs.
Only Pathum Nissanka (46 off 37 balls with 4 fours) and Dasun Shanaka (35* off 25 balls, 2 sixes, 4 fours) offered any resistance. Kamindu Mendis, replacing Chamika Karunaratne, added 21 off 15 balls. However, five Sri Lankan batters failed to cross the 7-run mark.
Dinesh Chandimal, brought in to replace Avishka Fernando at No. 4, was dismissed for just 4 runs off 5 balls, failing to provide any impact. Mehidy Hasan’s brilliant spin spell suffocated the Lankan batters, as he returned figures of 4 wickets for 11 runs in 4 overs. Mustafizur Rahman supported well with 1 wicket for 17 runs in his 4 overs. Liton Das was also recognized as Man of the Match.
Bangladesh, who lost the series opener by 7 wickets, staged a dramatic turnaround in the second T20 with an 83-run victory marking their largest margin of win against any Test-playing nation.
This final win sealed the series and altered the head-to-head record in T20s between the two teams. Out of 20 encounters, Sri Lanka has won 12 while Bangladesh now claims 8 victories. Notably, of the last 6 matches played since last year, Sri Lanka won 2 and Bangladesh 4.
