Dubai: Kusal Mendis (60 runs) and Danusa Sanaka scored 45 runs as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by two wickets in Group B match of the Asia Cup T20 tournament to secure their place in the Super Four. Sri Lanka showed the way by getting Bangladesh out of the series by achieving the target of 184 runs for eight wickets in 19.2 overs. Ibadat Hossain took three wickets for Bangladesh.

Earlier, Bangladesh scored a challenging score of 183 for seven, batting first against Sri Lanka in Group B's Do or Die match on the back of aggressive innings from Afif Hossain, Mehdi Hasan Miraj, Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain. This was Bangladesh's highest score in T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka. Opening the innings, Mehdi Hasan Miraj scored 38 runs in 26 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes.

Between the fall of the wickets, Afif Hossain (39 runs in 22 balls) and the experienced Mahmudullah (27 runs in 22 balls) laid the foundation for a big score by putting an aggressive 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket. While Afif hit four fours and two sixes in his innings, Mahmudullah hit a four and a six. Mosaddek Hossain scored 24 runs in the last over with the help of four fours in an unbeaten innings of nine balls to take the team's score beyond 183. Bangladesh scored 60 runs in the last five overs. Captain Shakib Al Hasan contributed 24 runs in 22 balls for the team.

Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne took two wickets each for Sri Lanka. Debutant Asitha Fernando (1 for 51) gave Sri Lanka the first breakthrough in the third over of the innings by showing Shabir Rahman (five runs) the path to the pavilion. Mehdi Hasan Miraj accelerated the run-rate by hitting a six off Mahish Teekshana in the fourth over and sixes and fours in successive deliveries against Fernando in the fifth over. Bangladesh scored 18 runs from this over of Fernando.

In the next over, Mehdi Hasan Miraj hit another boundary, which took the team's score to 55 for one in the powerplay. Hasaranga, who came to bowl in the seventh over, bowled Mehdi Hasan Miraj to end his innings of 38 runs in 26 balls. In the next over, Mushfiqur Rahim (four runs) was caught by wicketkeeper Mendis on a bouncing ball from Chamika Karunaratne. Captain Shakib Al Hasan took the risk and hit three fours off four balls in the ninth and 10th overs to bring the dwindling run-rate back on track. Tikshna bowled him in the 11th over and stopped his innings before it became dangerous.