Sri Lanka's Fielding Prowess and Hasaranga's Strategy Propel Victory Over Bangladesh

Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has lauded his team's exceptional fielding performance as a key factor in their 77-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening ODI. The energetic display in the field significantly contributed to the win.

Sri Lanka's efforts on the field made a huge difference in the end. © BCB

At one stage, Bangladesh appeared to be comfortably positioned at 100/1. However, a turning point arrived when Milan Rathnayake executed a direct hit from deep square leg, dismissing Najmul Hossain for 23. Tanzid Hasan, who had reached his half-century after Litton Das's early dismissal, looked set to anchor the innings, but Janith Liyanage's remarkable catch at mid-off triggered a dramatic collapse.

"Milan Rathnayake was outstanding, and so was Janith Liyanage," Hasaranga stated. "We've demonstrated our ability to change games with our fielding, and this match further validates that. They were cruising, but Milan's run-out shifted the momentum. Then, Janith Liyanage's stunning catch turned the game in our favor."

Hasaranga expressed confidence in defending their total after posting a score close to 250. "It's a typical RPS wicket. Having played against Australia and India here, we knew that a first-innings score between 240 and 250 would be defensible, given our bowling attack. It's the usual RPS pitch," he explained.

He further commented on Bangladesh's strategy, "I think they felt that they should go with a seam heavy attack. But you need to adjust to conditions quickly. Bangladeshi batters took on our quicks probably knowing that when the spinners come on it will be tough to score runs. Asitha bowled well as he usually does. I think it was good to see the way the bowlers adjusted,"

Regarding his own delayed introduction into the attack, Hasaranga revealed it was a tactical decision. "Charith, Kusal, and I discussed and decided to hold me back. The plan was to delay my introduction as much as possible to target the right-handers, given the number of left-handers in their top order," he said.

Hasaranga also praised the batting unit's resurgence in ODIs, attributing it to Charith Asalanka's leadership. "He (Charith) goes about his business as a mature player. He handles the middle situations well and gets the other batters to build partnerships," said Hasaranga.

"He has a knack to get the best out of his batting partners. He has been key for our success and he has been amongst runs for us in the last 18 months or so. Every batter has started contributing for the team. That's something that we didn't have a few years ago. Why we are wining consistently nowadays is that the batters are doing their job and things are made easy for the bowlers."

Despite injury setbacks, Hasaranga expressed his satisfaction in contributing to the team, marking his 100th ODI wicket on his international debut's eighth anniversary. "I missed a lot of cricket due to my injuries and the surgery that I had to undergo. The toughest part was missing a World Cup due to injury and very happy to have contributed for the success of Sri Lanka as I am proud about it," said Hasaranga.

"I wasn't aware of the 1000-run milestone but I knew I just needed one wicket for 100 wickets. It's a day I complete eight years as an international cricketer and very pleased with this and I hope to continue in the same way."