Sakib-Shakib strike as Sri Lanka lose three

Mehedi Hasan Miraz claimed the sixth Sri Lankan wicket to fall, dismissing Dhananjaya de Silva through a stumping as Sri Lanka were 213-6 after 38 overs in Delhi.

De Silva came down the track but the ball snuck between the bat and pad and went into the gloves of Mushfiqur Rahim. Mushfiqur almost made a mess of the chance as the ball popped out of his hands.

But he took the ball in the second grab and dislodged the bails before De Silva could get back.

Charith Asalanka is going great guns at the other end, batting on 71 off 82 balls.

Asalanka-De Silva complete 50-stand

Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva are recuperating the Sri Lanka innings after the shock dismissal of Angelo Mathews as the duo has added 51 runs off 52 balls by the end of the 33rd over with the Lankans on 186-5 in the World Cup encounter in Delhi.

After Mathews became the first ever batter in international cricket to be declared timed out, Sri Lanka were five down for 135 in 24.2 overs.

Since then, Asalanka, who completed his half-century off 56 balls, and De Silva have consolidated the innings while maintaining a decent run-rate.

Mathews timed out- a first in international cricket

Sri Lanka lost their fifth wicket in the most unusual way, as Angelo Mathews was declared timed out for not reaching the middle in time after the fall of the fourth wicket in Delhi.

This is the first time a batsman has been ruled timed out in international cricket.

Sri Lanka lost their fourth wicket when Shakib Al Hasan broke a 50-plus stand, this time dismissing a dangerous looking Sadeera Samarawickrama for 41 off 42 balls as Sri Lanka lose their fourth wicket for 135 in Delhi.

Mathews took too long to get ready to take strike due to an issue with his helmet and the Bangladesh fielders made the appeal to the on-field umpire that the batter was timed out.

As per the rule, the new batter has to be ready within two minutes of the dismissal to face the next ball.

The umpire upheld the appeal and sent Mathews back to the pavilion.

Sakib-Shakib strike as Sri Lanka lose three

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck in consecutive overs to remove Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka as Sri Lanka are three down for 72 runs in Delhi.

Shakib joined the attack in the 12th over and broke the 61-run second wicket partnership in his first over by removing his Sri Lankan counterpart  Mendis for 19 off 30 balls. Mendis chipped the ball straight down the ground and Shoriful Islam came running in from long off to complete the catch.

In the next over, Nissanka, who made 41 off 36 balls, played on an delivery from Sakib to give the right-arm pacer his first success in the World Cup.

Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Assalanka are now at the middle as Sri Lanka are 72-3 after 13 overs.

Nissanka-Mendis repair the early damage

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have helped Sri Lanka recover from the early loss, as Sri Lanka have reached 52 for the loss of one wicket after the first powerplay in Delhi.

Nissanka has been the aggressor of the two, hitting eight fours to reach 39 off 32 balls. Mendis, who took 14 balls to get off the mark, is batting on seven off 23 balls.

Taskin Ahmed has tested the batters the most, conceding just 16 off five overs, but is yet to get a wicket.

World Cup debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib joined the attack in the seventh over and induced an outside edge off Nissanka which went through the vacant first slip region for a boundary. He has conceded 13 off his first two overs.

Wicket-taker Shoriful Islam has conceded 22 off his three overs.

Mushfiqur takes a stunner as Bangladesh strike early

Shoriful Islam struck in the first over of the innings as Mushfiqur Rahim took a brilliant diving catch to remove Kusal Perera for four in their World Cup match in Delhi today.

Kusal, earlier in the over, hot a boundary through the covers to get off the mark.

In the last ball of the over, Kusal threw his bat at an away swinging delivery and ended up edging the ball. Mushfiqur dove to his left to take a sharp catch.

Sri Lanka are 5-1 after one over after being asked to bat first.

Tigers bowl first as Tanzim Sakib makes WC debut

Bangladesh won the toss and will field first against Sri Lanka in their penultimate match in the ICC World Cup in Delhi today, where the only stake for both teams would be securing a spot in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, positioned ninth and seventh in the points-table, are out of contention for a spot in the semifinal. However, today’s match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium won’t be a dead rubber for either teams who are in a battle to finish as one of the top eight teams in the group-stage to qualify for the Champions Trophy.

The Tigers have made one change as pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib is set to make his World Cup debut, replacing Mustafizur Rahman who is not a 100 percent fit.

Sri Lanka, who suffered a crushing 302-run defeat against India in their last match, have made a couple of changes, dropping Dimuth Karunaratne and Dushan Hemantha in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera.

Bangladesh: Liton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Mahmudullah, Towhid Hridoy, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka