Bangladesh player Shoriful Islam stole the limelight in the ongoing first T20I against Sri Lanka. The first match of the three-match series between the two teams will take place at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet.
The rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has reached the next level and Shoriful Islam made sure to leave no stone unturned when it came to mocking the opposition. He mocked the island nation with his celebration excluded after dismissing Avishka Fernando.
During the second ball of the innings, Shoriful Islam bowled a longer delivery that was outside off. Avishka Fernando tried to advance with hard hands, but only managed to get a thick outside lead. Litton Das behind the stumps took an easy catch to send the batsman packing for a two-ball 4.
However, what caught the attention of many was Shoriful Islam’s celebration after the wicket. He made a gesture during the time-out, mocking the Sri Lanka cricket team for the dismissal of Angelo Mathews in the ICC World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh.
Celebration of Shoriful Islam excluded pic.twitter.com/fkPGrIVjei
— SRI LANKA CRICKET LIONS (@slcricketlions) March 4, 2024
Then Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan during the match against Sri Lanka in ICC World Cup 2023 appealed for time-out against Angelo Mathews. The veteran all-rounder came out to bat and the strap on his helmet broke, which took him more time to bat.
However, this did not go well for the Bangladesh captain as he called for a time-out dismissal and the batsman was dismissed. Angelo Mathews was furious after that and the two teams engaged in a high intensity battle and have left no stone unturned to take on each other ever since.
Shoriful Islam concedes 47 runs in 4 overs as Sri Lanka posts a mammoth total of 206 runs
Coming to the ongoing game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the island nation made a sensational start with the bat and posted a mammoth total on the board. The Charith Asalanka-led team was asked to bat first and they made sure to take advantage of the batting conditions.
After Avishka Fernando got out, Kusal Mendis held the fort and completed a magnificent half-century. He finished with an innings of 59 runs off 36 balls. Earlier, Kamindu Mendis (19) contributed and helped his team score runs in the middle.
The real bombardment came from the bat of Sadeera Samarawickrama (61*) and captain Charith Asalanka (44*). The duo attacked the Bangladesh bowlers and taunted the opposition. They added an unbeaten 73 runs off 33 balls that propelled Sri Lanka to a total of 206 runs on the board.
Bangladesh bowlers did not have a great outing. Shoriful Islam picked one wicket and gave away 47 runs. Taskin Ahmad also bagged a wicket, while Rishad Hossain was also among the wickets. Bangladesh then did not get off to a great start in the chase as they lost early wickets and came under pressure. Angelo Mathews has so far been the choice of bowlers in the game as he has picked two wickets. Matheesha Pathirana and Binura Fernando have also contributed a wicket each.