Bangladesh’s men’s cricket team concluded a disastrous campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games without a single medal, following a comprehensive 63-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the third-place play-off at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The result marks the first time since cricket was introduced at the Games that Bangladesh have failed to secure a medal in either the men’s or women’s discipline.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka recovered from an early collapse to post a formidable 165 for 9 in their 20 overs. Bangladesh quickly established dominance in the opening spell, reducing Sri Lanka to a perilous 21 for 4 inside four overs. Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan struck twice, while debutant Aliss Al Islam and Saif Hassan took a wicket each to put Sri Lanka firmly on the back foot.
The momentum shifted entirely through a brilliant counter-attack by Tharindu Ratnayake. Partnering with Sahan Arachchige, who made a vital 33, Ratnayake overhauled the innings with a blistering 65 off 32 deliveries, hitting seven boundaries and five sixes. Sri Lanka capitalized on a flagging Bangladeshi attack to plunder 114 runs off the final ten overs.
Mustafizur Rahman suffered a nightmarish spell, conceding 25 runs in his 14th over and finishing with figures of 2 for 43 from three overs. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain similarly imploded late in the innings; after conceding just nine runs in his opening two overs, he was dismantled for 37 runs in his final two.
Chasing 166 for victory, Bangladesh’s response unraveled almost immediately. Opener Saif Hassan was dismissed for a duck in the first over, followed by Tanjid Hasan, who also departed without scoring in the second. Captain Litton Das was then cleaned up by a trademark Nuwan Thushara yorker on his very first delivery, leaving the side reeling at 9 for 3 after 2.3 overs.
The middle order offered little resistance against a disciplined Sri Lankan bowling effort. Towhid Hridoy managed 11 off six balls, Parvez Hossain Emon laboured to 20 off 26, and Yasir Ali added 21 off 16. Spinner Nasum Ahmed top-scored with 26 off 28 balls from number nine to drag Bangladesh past the 100-run mark, but the side was eventually bowled out for 102 in 17.3 overs.
Nuwan Thushara, Tharindu Ratnayake, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, and Wanuja Sahan claimed two wickets apiece for Sri Lanka. Ratnayake complemented his heroics with the bat by taking 2 for 18, cementing his performance as the match-winning display that earned Sri Lanka the bronze medal.
Head coach Mohammad Salahuddin offered a scathing critique of his team’s execution, attributing the loss to an inability to maintain control during critical moments of the match and the disastrous top-order collapse during the powerplay. Litton Das expressed profound disappointment over the outcome but defended his players, asserting that the squad fought hard and must now focus on addressing their failures collectively.
Bangladesh had originally bypassed the quarter-finals when rain forced cancellations, advancing directly to the semi-finals owing to their higher international ranking. A six-wicket loss to Pakistan ended their gold medal aspirations, and the subsequent defeat to Sri Lanka completed a sobering tour for Bangladesh cricket.
