Kusal Mendis and pace duo make it a Sri Lankan night of joy

■ Win 3-match ODI series against Bangladesh 2-1

- By Sa'adi Thawfeeq

SRI Lanka came up with an exceptional bowling performance led by their pace duo Asitha Fernando and Dushmantha Chameera after Kusal Mendis had scripted his sixth ODI century to beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in the third and final ODI played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday and clinch the three-match series 2-1.

It was Sri Lanka's seventh ODI series win out of nine since their disappointing 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign that also saw them fail to qualify for a place in the ICC Champions trophy. Their only two losses have come in away series in Bangladesh and in New Zealand.

After Sri Lanka had scored 285-7 winning the toss and batting first, their bowlers never allowed Bangladesh to build any sort of momentum as they kept picking wickets at regular intervals. The bowlers hit their straps from the start and never let Bangladesh off the hook and eventually bowled them out for 186 in the 40th over.