Sri Lanka commanded a 07-wicket victory in the first T20I match against Bangladesh held at Pallekele yesterday (July 11).

Bangladesh, invited to bat first by Sri Lanka, struggled early in their innings, losing their top three wickets for just 67 runs At the end of their 20 overs and posting a total of 154 for 5.

Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana claimed two wickets, while Dasun Shanaka bowled economically, conceding just 22 runs in his four overs and picking up one wicket.

In response, Sri Lanka’s opening pair, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, built a solid partnership of 78 runs for the first wicket.

The team scored 83 runs in the first six overs, marking their highest-ever powerplay total in T20 internationals. This surpassed their previous record of 75 runs against India in 2018.

Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the target in 19 overs, losing only three wickets in the process, and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced that tickets for the T20I series opener between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have been sold out.

The match is to be held today (July 10) at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
The SLC requested the public not to arrive at the ticket counters in search of tickets for today’s game, as no further tickets will be available for sale.

Meanwhile, gates will open at 05.00 pm for ticket holders to enter the stadium, with the match scheduled to commence at 07.00 pm.

Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh after suffering a hamstring injury to his right leg.

The injury occurred while he was batting during the third and final ODI of the recently concluded series.

Following a medical evaluation, Hasaranga will return to Colombo to undergo rehabilitation at Sri Lanka Cricket’s High Performance Centre.

Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that no replacement will be added to the T20I squad in his absence.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)