It was in 2018 that Bangladesh's 'Naagin' dance, which they performed after beating Sri Lanka in the final league game of the Nidahas Trophy, came back to haunt them. Then, Dinesh Karthik's last-ball six helped India pull off an incredible chase in the title decider versus the Tigers. Four years hence, the now-infamous dance shows no signs of expiry, as Sri Lanka wrote a similar chapter with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Group B match in Dubai.
Steady innings from Kusal Mendis and skipper Dasun Shanaka helped the islanders cruise into the Super Four stage of the six-team tournament on Thursday. Chasing 184 in a must-win game, Sri Lanka rode on a crucial 54-run stand between Mendis (60) and Shanaka (45) before the tail helped achieve their target with four balls to spare.
Chamika Karunaratne, with a 10-ball 16, and Asitha Fernando, unbeaten on 10, knocked Bangladesh out of the competition. In the final over when Sri Lanka needed 8 runs, Fernando hit a four and then took two runs off a no-ball, sparking wild celebrations in his team's dressing room.
Shortly after the win, cameras captured a charged-up Karunaratne coming up with the 'Naagin' dance to mock Bangladesh. The video of the incident went viral on social media in no time.
Karunaratne's dance rubbed salt in the wounds as the pre-match build-up was intense. The 20-over game preceded a verbal battle between the two camps, which started with Sri Lanka captain Shanaka taking a swipe at Bangladesh's bowling attack and calling them an “easier opponent” as compared to Afghanistan.
{{/usCountry}}Karunaratne's dance rubbed salt in the wounds as the pre-match build-up was intense. The 20-over game preceded a verbal battle between the two camps, which started with Sri Lanka captain Shanaka taking a swipe at Bangladesh's bowling attack and calling them an “easier opponent” as compared to Afghanistan.
{{/usCountry}}In response to Shanaka's comment, Bangladesh team director and former captain Khaled Mahmud said his team has two world-class bowlers in Shakib and Mustafizur but the islanders have none.
After the win, Shanaka praised his openers who added a 45-run partnership. "I think the openers did a good job, we discussed that we needed that opening partnership for the start. Today, that was the key and that's why we chased down this total," he said in the post-match presentation.
On the bowling front, Wanindu Hasaranga and Karunaratne picked up two wickets each to help the islanders move into the next stage of the tournament alongside Afghanistan. In Group A, the winners game between Pakistan and Hong Kong on Friday will secure a Super Four spot alongside India.
Sri Lanka will now next Afghanistan in the opening Super Four clash in Sharjah on Saturday.