[Watch] Maheesh Theekshana’s carrom ball castles Najmul Shanto for 89 in SL vs BAN Asia Cup 2023 match

Bangladesh batter Najmul Shanto departed after a brilliant 89-run knock courtesy of an excellent delivery from Mahesh Theekshana in their Asia Cup 2023 opener against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Thursday. The dismissal sunk Bangladesh further into trouble at 162/8 in the 41st over.

They were eventually bowled out for a paltry 164 in the 43rd over to surrender the advantage of winning the toss and batting first. Amidst their shambolic display, 25-year-old Shanto stood tall and weathered the storm on a tacky pitch with seven boundaries.

Despite displaying tremendous resilience, resurrecting the Bangladesh innings eventually weighed down the southpaw. Najmul Shanto played down the wrong line to a quicker delivery from Theekshana that drifted in sharply and crashed into the stumps.

Here is a replay video of Shanto's dismissal:

Shanto has been among the unsung heroes for Bangladesh across formats in 2023, scoring almost 974 runs in 23 matches at an impressive average of 46.38 with three tons and five half-centuries.

He has been equally proficient in the 50-over format, with an average of 43.16 and a strike rate of 84.36, including a century and four half-centuries in 13 games.

The knock was the third-highest score by a Bangladesh batter at No.3 in Asia Cups. It was also the second-highest by a Bangladesh batter against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup matches.

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Bangladesh put on a shambolic batting display in their Asia Cup Opener

Sri Lankan bowlers were on the money against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh endured a disastrous beginning to their Asia Cup 2023 campaign, being bowled out for a meager 164 in the 43rd over. In the absence of veteran opener Tamim Iqbal, the Tigers got off to the worst possible start, losing their first wicket in the second over of the innings.

Things fell further apart when their star batter, Shakib Al Hasan, departed for only five runs to leave Bangladesh 35/3 in the 11th over.

Despite reasonable contributions from Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim, any hopes of recovery were sniffed out with the Lankan bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals. Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for just 37 runs, leaving themselves the stiff challenge of defending a below-par total.

Matheesha Pathirana was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/32, while Maheesh Theekshana bagged two wickets in his spell.

Sri Lanka also boasts a massive edge in head-to-head meetings between the sides in ODIs. They hold a 40-9 lead after 51 games and an 11-2 advantage in Asia Cup battles.

The Lions are the defending Asia Cup champions, having won in the T20 format last year, and have the second most Asia Cup titles with six behind only India.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh have performed admirably in the last few editions of the Asia Cup, reaching the final on three of the previous five occasions.