Nagoya:Bangladesh cricket concluded its Asian Games campaign without a medal for the first time since the sport was added to the event, as the men's team lost to Sri Lanka by 63 runs at Korogo Sports Park.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Bangladesh men's team, like their female counterparts, failed to clinch the bronze medal. Despite a strong start, they were unable to maintain their early advantage after reducing Sri Lanka to 21-4 early in the match. Sri Lanka managed to recover and set a target of 165-9 in 20 overs.
In pursuit of 166, Bangladesh struggled from the onset. The top order collapsed quickly, with Saif Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, and captain Litton Das all departing without scoring, leaving the team at a precarious 4 for 3. Subsequent batsmen Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy attempted to stabilize the innings, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.
Emon managed to score 22 off 26 balls while Hridoy contributed 11 off six. Yasir Ali added 21 off 16 balls, and Rishad Hossain scored 10 off five. Nasum Ahmed was the top scorer for Bangladesh with a valiant 26 off 28 balls, but his effort was insufficient to avoid defeat, as Bangladesh was bowled out for 102 before their 20 overs were completed.
Earlier in the match, Bangladesh's bowlers had impressed, taking four quick wickets. However, Sri Lankan batsmen Sahan Arachchige and Tharindu Ratnayake rebuilt their innings, with Ratnayake scoring a decisive 65 off 32 balls. His aggressive play, including seven fours and five sixes, shifted the game's momentum.
Sri Lanka capitalized on a particularly lucrative 14th over bowled by Mustafizur Rahman, which yielded 25 runs. A missed catch later in the innings also hurt Bangladesh's chances as Sri Lanka set a formidable total. Saif Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Mahedi Hasan each took two wickets for Bangladesh.