Bangladesh clinch historic win

How they were out

Bangladesh get rid of Kumar Sangakkara for 23 at Bogra © AFP

Bangladesh batted with controlled aggression for their first-ever victory against Sri Lanka at the Bogra District Stadium. Javed Omar got the run-chase off the ground, Mohammad Ashraful provided a cameo, and Aftab Ahmed finished it off in style after a fine allround bowling performance - Syed Rasel, Mohammad Rafique and Alok Kapali grabbed two wickets apiece - had restricted Sri Lanka to 212 in the second of the three-match ODI series.

Ahmed, who had bowled parsimoniously, batted like a millionaire. Fifty seven runs were needed in 11.3 overs when Kapali joined him in the middle. Bangladesh had just lost their attacking-duo of Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Ashraful, who in a 63-run partnership had taken Bangladesh close, and a collapse under pressure was the expected tale. But Aftab and Kapali held their nerves and inched close before Aftab decided to hasten the end with some stunning hits. Khaled Mashud's push to short third-man ushered in the historic win.

The chase had got off in style with the recalled opener Omar and Shariar Nafees powering Bangladesh to 38 in the eighth over before Sri Lanka fought back, prising out two wickets. Omar, crouching slightly at the crease, preferred to move quickly on his front foot, and wasted no opportunity to drive. He started off with a lofted on-drive past mid-on but subsequently, eschewed the aerial route. Ruchira Perera was punch-driven through the off side for successive fours, Dilhara Fernando was cut twice to the point fence, and in the interim Omar concentrated on taking singles to rotate the strike. Nafees, moving back and across, slapped a few fours before falling to his nemisis - a poke outside off stump.

Mohammad Ashraful joined Omar and unlike the first one-dayer where he spontaneously combusted, he chose to bide his time and play himself in. Soon enough he started to find the boundaries. He leaned forward to play a lovely pick-up shot over cover off a flighted legbreak from Malinga Bandara, and when the bowler adjusted by pulling back the length , he moved back to cut it to the point fence to propel the score to a healthy 90 for 2 by the end of 20 overs. Then against the run of the play, Omar fell, given out lbw after a lengthy vociferous appeal. He had stretched forward and across to a ball from Bandara and point of impact appeared outside off as the ball straightened after pitching.

Habibul Bashar joined Ashraful and the duo dug themselves in, eschewed any risky aerial ventures, and settled down to maneuver the field. Bashar pulled Hasantha and lofted Bandara while Ashraful late cut Jayasuriya to cheer the full house as 63 runs came in 17 overs. And then, as it often happens in ODIs, two quick fell to reverse the momentum of the batting side. Bashar failed in his attempt to clear the long-on boundary while Ashraful, in a moment of indiscretion that one has come to expect of him, fell going for an ungainly heave across the line. It was then Ahmed and Kapali decided to write themselves into the history of Bangladesh cricket.

Habibul Bashar had one look at the overcast conditions and the moisture-rich pitch, and had no hesitation in fielding first in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Bogra District Stadium. His decision was vindicated as Sri Lanka crawled along to a fighting total, thanks largely to Sanath Jayasuriya.

Bashar's new-ball operators - Syed Rasel and Mashrafe Mortaza - repaid the captain's faith in them as they settled into a nice rhythm, exploited the conditions and restricted the Sri Lankan top order to 91 for 3 at the half-way mark. At which point the sun came out, slowing up the pitch considerably, and made strokeplay difficult. Bashar turned to his slower men - Alok Kapali, the legspinner, Aftab Ahmed, with his gentle medium-pace, and Mohammad Rafique, the left-arm spinner - who responded admirably by choking up the runs and were rewarded with wickets at regular intervals.

Jayasuriya displayed all the nous derived from a long international career and played a controlled hand to guide his team out of an increasingly desperate situation. He saw off the new-ball attack, exploded against Nasmul Hussain, the first-change bowler, and went back into a cautious mode when his partners kept deserting him. He pushed, tapped and found the gaps against the slower men before he fell four runs short of a century.

As the pitch got slower Kapali displayed impressive control and got increasingly confident after Chamara Kapudegara and Tillakaratne Dilshan fell to his guile. Ahmed bowled gentle mediumpace - not unlike Nathan Astle - and choked the run-flow. Rafique chipped in with his floaters and quicker ones - he dismissed Jayasuriya with a quicker one - as Sri Lanka kept losing wickets regularly. The lower-order wagged - Farveez Maharoof chipped in with a breezy 21, and with Dilhara Fernando involved in a hit and giggle at the end - Sri Lanka reached a total which proved non-defendable at the end.

Shahriar Nafees c Kumar Sangakkara b Dilhara Fernando 17 (38 for 1)
Fished at one outside off

Rajin Saleh lbw Farveez Maharoof 6 (45 for 2)
Caught in the crease to a ball that cut back in

Javed Omar lbw Malinga Bandara 40 (90 for 3),br> Stretched forward and impact outside off

Shahriar Nafees c Kumar Sangakkara b Dilhara Fernando 17 (38 for 1)
fished at one outside off; umpire upheld the appeal

Rajin Saleh lbw Farveez Maharoof 6 (45 for 2)
caught at the crease to a ball that cut back in

Javed Omar lbw Malinga Bandara 40 (90 for 3),br> stretched forward and impact outside off; umpire withheld the appeal

Habibul Bashar c Kapugedara b Sanath Jayasuriya 33 (154 for 4)
lofts straight to long leg

Mohammad Ashraful c Malinga Bandara b Hasantha Fernando 51 (155 for 5)
attempts a heave across the line, leading edge pouched at long leg

Alok Kapali c Hasantha Fernando b Dilhara 18 (206 for 6)
hit straight to mid-off

Jehan Mubarak c Khaled Mashud b Syed Rasel 2 (1 for 5)
Edged a full one, the edge falling just short of the diving wicketkeeper

Kumar Sangakkara c Mashud b Rasel 23 (2 for 72)
Attempted flick to a ball down the leg, edge taken smartly

Mahela Jayawardene c Habibul Bashar b Mohammad Rafique 5 (3 for 87)
Top edged a sweep to backward short-leg

Kapugedara c Mashud b Alok Kapali 13 (116 for 4)
Attempts a cut, edge safely pouched by Mashud

Tillakaratne Dilshan c & b Kapali 3 (122 for 5)
Mistimes a drive

Hasantha Fernando lbw b Aftab Ahmed (132 for 6)
Plays down the wrong line as the ball cut back in

Sanath Jayasuriya lbw Mohammad Rafique 95 (168 for 7)
Misjudes the length and attempts a pull but beaten by the quicker one

Farveez Maharoof c Bashar b Mortaza 21 (187 for 8)
Mistimes a pull shot

Dilhara Fernando c Mohammad Ashraful b Nazmul Hussain 13 (212 for 10)
Hits a slower ball straight up in the air