That ends a surprisingly one-sided game in Colombo. Bangladesh started well with the ball and closed out the first innings well, but lost the plot in the middle overs. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, capitalized only in the middle overs, with both, bat and ball. They would be buoyed by this win but both sides will admit that there is some improvement needed in both departments. The second ODI is scheduled on Saturday, 5th July, 2025, at this same venue, Colombo, with the first ball being scheduled to be bowled at 9 am GMT, but our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early then. In the meanwhile. you can catch updates from around the globe, like the England-India Test, and the West Indies-Australia clash and also the Zimbabwe-South Africa encounter. Enjoy yourself. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

The victorious skipper of SRI LANKA, CHARITH ASALANKA is also adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his fantastic 106. Says that when he came out to bat, it was a difficult time for his side, and hence, he was only trying to do his basics right. Believes that he got a good start and just thought to play according to the situation. On the Lankan collapse in the death overs, Asalanka is disappointed that his side could not cash in with Bangladesh struggling with injuries, but also admits that there was simply no firepower. On the excellent Lankan fielding, Charith smiles and calls it simply amazing. Goes onto say that Sri Lanka's best fielding unit is its ODI team. On being asked about his habit of steering the sinking Lankan ship time and time again through crucial knocks, Asalanka shys away and laughs. Ends by saying that he has nothing much to say about that.

The captain of Bangladesh, MEHIDY HASAN MIRAZ, admits that the toss turned out to be crucial. Feels that the wicket was good and his team bowled really well, especially the fast bowling unit and took wickets early, but rues the fact that they could not get wickets in the middle overs. Credits Asalanka for the way he played. Believes that if Bangladesh had got wickets in the middle overs, they could have had a different result. On the cramps affecting the Bangladesh players, Mehidy admits that it was a big thing, as a couple of his main bowlers went down. But adds that this can happen in ODI cricket. On the run chase, Miraz says that his team did well with the bat in the first 20 overs and Tanzid Hasan batted well but admits that the mistake was in the run out of Najmul Hossain Shanto. On the middle-order collapse, Mehidy agrees that the batters did not play well. Details that back-to-back wickets are always a problem and if they had spent some time in the middle and got a small partnership of 20-25 runs, they could have managed to chase the target down.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

Earlier, in the game, it was Sri Lanka who were in sorts of trouble at 29/3 in the 7th over. But skipper Charith Asalanka batted like a rock and carried the team along, batting till the 50th over. His 106 helped form decent partnerships with Kusal Mendis, Liyanage, Rathnayake and even Hasaranga. Given the platform they had, at 226/6, with 5 overs left, the skipper would have expected to get to around 275-280, especially with Bangladesh cramping, but they had a mini collapse, which restricted them to 244. Taskin Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with 4 scalps while Tanzim Hasan Sakib chipped in with 3. Please stay tuned for the presentation.

A tough pill to swallow for the visitors. They come from a place where spin is played well and to lose 8 wickets to spin will not go down well with them. Add to the fact that they were coasting to victory at one stage. Tanzid Hasan looked superb at the top but the middle order just got blown away, except for one lone fighter in Jaker Ali, who continued his impressive form with another half century.

That particular run out of Shanto seemed to spark a brilliance in the Lankan camp. They just threw themselves on the field like cheetahs and it seemed like Bangladesh were taking it a bit easy. Before you could blink your eye, the visitors slipped from 100/1 to 105/8 - that's 7 wickets for 5 runs in the span of 27 balls! The tourists had no idea what hit them. After the run out, spin claimed all the 8 wickets to fall as Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis destroyed that middle order. Jaker Ali tried to stretch the game deep but the result could not be changed.

Chasing 245 for a win, Bangladesh got off to a flier, primarily riding on Tanzid Hasan's form. He looked extremely fluent as the ball seemed to be skidding onto the bat nicely under the lights. Former skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was giving him good company as well, with the pair doing well for the second wicket. Then, something happened. At 99/1, Najmul looked to pinch a couple but it turned out to be a risky call and he was run out. Little did he know, it was probably the biggest call of death knell ever made.

Brilliance or a gift served on a platter? Call it what you want but Sri Lanka have pulled a rabbit out of the hat. For around 15-odd overs, they looked at sea in the run chase but one opportunity came their way and they kicked the door open. Have to question Bangladesh's mindset with the bat but that takes nothing away from the home side.

Meanwhile, in Edgbaston, England have managed a couple of quick strikes to have India at 236/5, on the opening day of the second Test. Shubman Gill is looking solid on 75 at one end. Drama in Colombo! The umpire has signalled PENALTY to Sri Lanka and this means, 5 PENALTY RUNS get added in Bangladesh's scorecard! This is as per the new rule, which states that if you are found behind the timer in starting the new over and have been warned twice, you will face a penalty on the third attempt.

5 Penalty runs awarded to Bangladesh.