SL vs BAN 1st ODI Results

5:01 PM IST 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!

4:39 PM IST 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.

4:35 PM IST 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.

4:31 PM IST ... THE PRESENTATION ...

4:31 PM IST 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.

4:24 PM IST 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.