Bangladesh’s bid for a bronze medal at the Asian Games ended in disappointment as Sri Lanka secured a convincing 63-run victory in the third-place play-off.
The defeat meant Bangladesh’s men’s cricket team finished outside the medals. The women’s team had also failed to secure a medal at the Games, leaving Bangladesh without a cricket medal from the competition. The country’s only medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games came in wushu, where Bangladesh claimed bronze.
Bangladesh began the bronze-medal match with genuine encouragement. Having lost the toss, they were asked to bowl first, but their attack immediately put Sri Lanka under pressure.
Mehedi Hasan struck twice in the third over, while Aliss Al Islam, playing his first international match, claimed his maiden international wicket. Sohan de Livera was run out in the same over. At 21 for four after just 3.5 overs, Sri Lanka appeared to be heading for a modest total.
The early collapse, however, did not translate into sustained pressure.
Arachchige and Bandara began rebuilding the innings, putting together 33 runs from 40 deliveries. Their partnership gave Sri Lanka some stability after the dramatic start. Bandara eventually fell to Rishad Hossain while attempting a sweep, having scored 18 from 24 balls.
At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka were 51 runs for four wickets. Bangladesh were still well placed, but the final 10 overs changed the complexion of the match.
The turning point came in the 14th over. Mustafizur Rahman conceded 25 runs, with a no-ball and wides adding to the damage. As Bangladesh’s only specialist pace option, he had a particularly demanding role. He had also conceded 23 runs in an over against Pakistan in the previous match.
Rishad Hossain, who had conceded only nine runs in his first two overs, also found the closing stages difficult. His final two overs cost 37 runs as Sri Lanka shifted into an aggressive mode.
Tharindu Ratnayake was the main architect of the late assault. He reached his half-century from just 27 balls and continued attacking until his dismissal. Mustafizur eventually had him caught by Rishad, but not before the Sri Lankan batter had smashed 65 from 32 deliveries, including seven fours and five sixes.
Sri Lanka scored 83 runs in the final five overs, transforming what had looked like a vulnerable innings into a competitive one. They finished on 165 for nine from 20 overs.
Mehedi Hasan was Bangladesh’s most economical wicket-taker, taking two wickets for 19 runs. Saif Hasan also claimed two for 28, while Mustafizur finished with two wickets for 43 runs. Rishad took one wicket for 46.
Bangladesh therefore needed 166 runs for victory and the bronze medal. Their chase, though, quickly descended into trouble.
Saif Hasan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Litton Das all returned to the pavilion without scoring. With four wickets down for only 23 runs after 4.2 overs, Bangladesh were already facing a steep challenge.
Tawhid Hridoy offered a brief burst of hope after his strong showing against Pakistan in the previous match. He made 11 from six balls but could not stay at the crease long enough to rebuild the innings.
The collapse continued when Parvez Hossain and Mehedi Hasan were dismissed from successive deliveries, both caught behind. Mehedi was unhappy with the umpire’s decision, believing that the delivery had not touched his bat. Bangladesh were then 64 for six, with the target appearing increasingly distant.
There was little resistance from the remaining batters. Yasir Ali scored 21, Parvez made 20 and Rishad contributed 10. Nasum Ahmed, coming in at number nine, produced a determined late effort, scoring 26 from 28 balls.
Nasum’s innings helped reduce the scale of the defeat, but Bangladesh could not prevent Sri Lanka from completing a comfortable victory. The innings ended at 102 in 17.3 overs, leaving Bangladesh 63 runs short of the target.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the workload effectively, with Thushara, Ratnayake, Viyaskanth and Sahan taking two wickets apiece.
For Bangladesh, the defeat was particularly frustrating given how strongly they had started with the ball. Reducing Sri Lanka to 21 for four created an opportunity to control the match, but the inability to contain the opposition in the final overs proved costly. Ratnayake’s explosive innings then gave Sri Lanka the momentum they needed before Bangladesh’s top-order collapse made the chase increasingly difficult.
The result leaves Bangladesh without a cricket medal at the Asian Games, with both the men’s and women’s teams failing to reach the podium. Their sole medal from the Games came in wushu, with a bronze providing the country’s only success in the competition.
