Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 45 runs to keep U-19 Asia Cup semi-final hopes alive
Bangladesh kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Under-19 Asia Cup alive with a 45-run win over Sri Lanka at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted 245 runs. They could not bat out their full 50 overs, bowled out with two balls to spare.
Ahsan Al Mumin played a superb innings for Bangladesh, scoring 82 off 98 balls with two fours and four sixes. SK Jarif Siam made 59 off 83 balls and Abdullah Al Muhi scored 30 off 25.
For Sri Lanka, Sethmika Seneriratne took four wickets, Gimhan Mendis three and Kaushika Kumarasinghe two.
Chasing 246, Sri Lanka lost their first wicket on 16 runs. Wickets kept falling at one end, but Senujha Wekunagoda fought alone at the other, scoring 85 off 94 balls with 10 fours and two sixes.
Once Wekunagoda departed on 85, no one else could build a big innings. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 200 in 46.1 overs, giving Bangladesh a 45-run win.
With the ball for Bangladesh, Tafiul Alam Tamim, Sheikh Atiqur Rahman, Rubay Islam and Robiul Hasan Anik took two wickets each, while Jarif Siam took one.
Bangladesh had lost their opening match of the tournament to Afghanistan, so this win over Sri Lanka was vital to staying in the semi-final race.
To reach the semi-finals, Bangladesh must now beat Malaysia in their final group match on November 9. There is no alternative to victory for the young Tigers.
In the group's other match on the same day, Sri Lanka face Afghanistan. If Bangladesh beat Malaysia and Sri Lanka lose to Afghanistan, Bangladesh will qualify as the group's second team with four points.
If both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka win their final matches, all three teams will have four points, and the semi-final places will be decided by net run rate. Afghanistan currently top Group B with four points and a net run rate of +3.645. Sri Lanka have two points and +1.229, while Bangladesh also have two points but a net run rate of -0.680. Bangladesh therefore need not only a win over Malaysia, but possibly a big-margin win to lift their net run rate.
