Sri Lanka and Bangladesh produced what could be a strong contender for ‘Match of the Tournament’ in the ongoing Asia Cup on Thursday, with the former pulling off a thrilling two-wicket win to become the second team from Group B to qualify for the Super 4 stage.
The Sri Lankan went wild with their celebrations after tailender Asitha Fernando collecting the winning runs as the Dasun Shanaka-led side kept their hopes of winning a sixth continental title — and the first in the T20 format — alive. And what was especially noticeable in the Sri Lankan victory celebrations was the famous ‘Nagin Dance’, which has become something of a regular sight in Sri Lanka-Bangladesh matches in recent history.
Watch the celebrations here:
For context, the ‘Nagin Dance’ celebration was first introduced by the Bangladeshis and its popularity peaked during the 2018 Nidahas Trophy that took place in Sri Lanka, when wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim celebrated his team’s victory over the Lankans with the said dance. Later in the tournament, the Sri Lankan fans were seen returning the favour as powered by Dinesh Karthik’s heroics, India defeated Bangladesh in the triangular T20I series final.
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On Thursday, set 184 to win following a positive batting performance from the Bangladeshis, Sri Lanka lost wickets in a heap in the first half of their chase after getting off to a positive start with their chances of pulling off a win appearing bleak after getting reduced to 77/4 in the ninth over.
The spirited Lankans, however, refused to give up as wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis fought on, bringing his side back on their feet with a 54-run fifth-wicket stand with skipper Shanaka (45). And once Mendis departed after a 37-ball 60, the Sri Lankan captain carried the fight forward, getting valuable contributions from the tailenders including Chamika Karunaratne (16) and Fernando (10 not out).
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The Bangladeshis, meanwhile, were guilty of being wayward in the business end of Sri Lanka’s chase, conceding far too many extras with debutant Ebadot Hossain conceding 17 runs in the penultimate over of the chase. The winning runs, incidentally, came off a no-ball bowled by Mahedi Hasan with Fernando also collecting a double to guide his team over the line.
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