The first knockout game, and an absolute thriller at that, of the Asia Cup sided with Sri Lanka. The much-hyped clash between rivals Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, after being on the wire throughout the chase was eventually clinched by Lankans. While both the teams looked in equal possession of the game for most parts, Bangladesh’s slip-ups cost more and led to their exit from the tournament.
Before the match, the teams engaged in what could be considered mud-slinging. Both undermined each other’s bowling capacities with Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka claiming the Bangladesh side an easier opponent. He stated that the side has only two world-class bowlers as opposed to Afghanistan’s attack. However, the Bangladesh side hit back saying Sri Lanka got none to challenge them.
However, as the nail-biter unfolded, it was derived that their bowling errors ultimately deprived Bangladesh of a victory. The chase was a pressure situation for both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and it was apparent that they weren’t handling it well.
While Sri Lanka earned two unnecessary run-outs in a panic situation, Bangladesh leaked runs right and left. Moreover, the Bangladesh bowlers bowled as many as 4 no balls in the pressure moments. And the winning run also came from a no-ball, highlighting the depth of the pressure and the resultant errors.
Shakib Al Hasan talks about the bowling errors
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The Bangladeshi captain, Shakib Al Hasan, addressed the bowling errors in a post-match interaction. And, in fact, stated that a spinner bowling a no-ball is a crime. “No captain wants no-balls from their team,” Shakib said. “It is a big crime when a spinner bowls a no-ball. We bowled a lot of wides and no-balls today. We were not disciplined. We didn’t know what to do when we were under pressure. We knew Kusal (Mendis) plays spin really well, so if we could get him early, it would have set platform for our spinners to come into the game,” he added.
“But till he was there, it was hard for our spinners to bowl. He was dropped on two, and then when he was out, it was a no-ball. The spinner bowling a no-ball is a big no-no. Our spinners usually don’t bowl no-balls, but today it was proven that we break down under pressure. We are losing in crunch moments. If we won 50% of the close matches, we would have a better record in this format,” Shakib Al Hasan opined.
