Bangladesh 139-5 (20 overs): Shamim 42 (34), Jaker 41 (32); Hasaranga 2-25
Sri Lanka: yet to bat
Bangladesh rode an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 86 between Shamim Hossain and Jaker Ali to post 139 for 5, a total that felt distant when they had slumped to nought for two after two overs in Abu Dhabi.
Key moments
• Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera opened with successive wicket-maidens.
• Wanindu Hasaranga, back from injury, removed Litton Das and Mahmudullah to finish with 2 for 25.
• Shamim and Jaker, coming together at 53 for 5, stayed to the end, each striking in the 120s.
Early damage
Left-handers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon never settled. Thushara swung one through Tanzid’s gate; Chameera hurried Emon with pace and lift. Both openers faced ten balls between them and failed to score. Litton Das steadied things with 28 off 26, but his dismissal—caught sweeping Hasaranga—left Bangladesh 45 for 4.
Middle-overs squeeze
Sri Lanka’s seamers mixed cutters with the odd yorker. Matheesha Pathirana, quicker but less accurate, leaked 42 in his four overs, the only bowling Bangladesh truly targeted. “Putting pace on helped,” Shamim noted at the break, grateful for Pathirana’s length in the penultimate over. Hasaranga, though, was miserly, beating Jaker with a wrong-’un that shaved the off stump but stubbornly failed to dislodge a bail.
The rescue act
Shamim’s lone six, a pick-up over deep midwicket off Pathirana in the 19th, stood out on a two-paced surface where forcing strokes was hard work. Jaker rotated calmly, twice threading Chameera through backward point even as the fast bowler nailed his yorkers at the close. For 21 deliveries the pair managed only singles, yet they resisted panic, taking Bangladesh past 130—respectable given the start.
Running risks
Towhid Hridoy’s run-out, chasing an optimistic third, threatened further trouble. Moments later Shamim himself was centimetres from going the same way; a head-first dive beat Kusal Mendis’ flicked throw by a frame.
Sri Lanka’s chase
A target of 140 looks modest, but under lights the ball has gripped. Hasaranga admitted, “We feel it’s par—maybe slightly above,” hinting at spin’s growing role as the match wears on. Bangladesh will believe they are in it; Sri Lanka, backed by power hitters and depth, remain favourites. Either way, the contest is alive—something that seemed unlikely after two overs of carnage.
