BANGLADESH put in an all-round performance to win the second T20I against Sri Lanka by 8 wickets and level the series 1-1. The result beautifully sets up a decider on Saturday, again in Sylhet.

Put in to bat first, Sri Lanka set Bangladesh a target of 166, a far cry from their effort in the first game and a middling prospect which needed to be backed up by some good bowling. But Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a fifty and played a captain’s knock, keeping the visiting bowlers at bay and helping his side chase the total with 11 balls to spare. We were 20-25 runs short and that was the point and quot; reckoned SL captain Charith Asalanka after the game.

Opting to bowl first, Taskin Ahmed struck in the second over of the game and grabbed a return chance to send back Avishka Fernando for a seven-ball duck. Kusal Mendis (36 off 22) and Kamindu Mendis (37 off 27) then added 66 runs for the second wicket, but both fell in the space of seven balls; while Kusal was caught behind off Soumya Sarkar&#39s bowling, Kamindu was run out after a mix-up with his batting partner.

That led to another phase of recovery led by Charith Asalanka (28 off 14), Angelo Mathews (32* off 21) and Dasun Shanaka (20* off 18) but all it could get SL to was 165/5 despite an average day out for Mustafizur Rahman who returned figures of 4-0-42-1.

A brilliant 63-run powerplay got Bangladesh off to exactly the kind of start they were looking for. Openers Litton Das (36 off 24) and Soumya Sarkar (26 of 22) were eventually dismissed by Matheesha Pathirana but Shanto (53* off 38) and Towhid Hridoy (32* off 25) ensured no more wickets fell and took the series to a decider with a convincing run-chase.

Spotted cramping the other night, Pathirana was seen holding his left hamstring and walking off the field after bowling 3.4 overs. His final over was eventually completed by Angelo Mathews.
Also part of the Chennai Super Kings for the upcoming IPL 2024, all the eyes would be on how and when the slingy pacer recovers. (Cricbuzz)