A career-best four for 11 from Mahedi Hasan and a fine 73 not out off 47 balls by Tanzid Tamim powered Bangladesh to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka, as they cruised to an eight-wicket victory in the T20I decider at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Mahedi’s impactful spell helped restrict the hosts to 132 for seven, with Pathum Nissanka (46) the only top-five batter to reach double digits.
Tanzid then took charge of the chase with a six-laden knock, stitching half-century stands with Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy, as Bangladesh wrapped up the win in 16.3 overs to seal their first-ever T20I series triumph over Sri Lanka.
“We felt that given the skills of Mahedi, he would be a perfect fit on the Colombo wicket. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t bowl well on other wickets. I had planned it before seeing the schedule – that whoever plays in Colombo, the first name will be Mahedi,” Litton told reporters after their historic win.
“It also doesn’t mean that Mehidy is not a good bowler or batter. As a team leader, I will think deeply about the surface before choosing a team. A bowling-friendly surface will always make me pick Mahedi,” he said.
After losing the Test and ODI series and suffering an embarrassing defeat in the opening T20I, Bangladesh bounced back strongly in the second match.
According to Litton, that win changed the entire mood in the dressing room and filled the team with confidence.
“We always try to give our 100 percent in the middle. We train in a way that allows us to give 100 percent in the middle,” said Litton.
“I think winning changes the face of the team. We also won the second game by 83 runs, which is a huge achievement. The whole team had the confidence to win if we played our best cricket,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Skipper Charith Asalanka admitted he misread the wicket in Colombo and opted to bat first while crediting Mahedi for his outstanding bowling display.
“I misread the pitch a little, which is why I decided to bat first,” said Asalanka.
“I think credit goes to Bangladesh, especially their bowlers. Mahedi bowled really well and they fielded exceptionally. They fought hard and at the same time, we made too many mistakes. In T20s, you can’t afford that because it’s the fastest format. If we want to be a good team, we have to minimize our mistakes,” he said.
Asalanka added that Sri Lanka were also experimenting with the batting line-up, though he did not want to use that as an excuse.
“I can say a lot about this series, especially after this loss. The team that won the series played really well.
“As I’ve said before, we’re going to the World Cup, and we’re trying out different combinations. We won the T20 World Cup in 2024 but it was a big challenge for us, and we need to think carefully about our combinations,” he said.
“In the last World Cup, we didn’t have a strong middle order, so we’re still testing who fits best. Today, we tried Dinesh Chandimal at No. 4 and made some adjustments at No. 6, but we’re still looking for the right balance.
“There are some limitations we need to address quickly,” he said.
