![Credit: Twitter](https://media.sportstiger.com/media/sri-vs-ban-asia-cup-sportsiger-1693499151233-original.jpg)
Credit: Twitter
Hosts Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by five wickets to kickstart the Asia Cup 2023 with a big win. The Lankans put forth a stunning all-round display to pull off a one-sided victory. This dominant performance was set up by a magical bowling effort by the hosts as Mahesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva reduced Bangladesh to 36-3 in the first 10 overs.
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On the back of this start, Matheesha Pathirana marauded through the middle and lower batting order and finished with four wickets while giving away just 32 runs in 7.4 overs. On a difficult batting day, Najmul Hossain Shanto was Bangladesh's lone warrior as he ended with a hard-fought 89 off 122 balls with seven boundaries.
Thanks to an efficient Sri Lankan bowling effort, the hosts only had to chase 165 but got off to a shaky start by losing three wickets by the 10th over. Steading the Lankan innings, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka stitched up a crucial partnership and carried their team to the win. Asalanka stayed till the end and hit winning runs as he ended up with a score of 62 in 92 balls with five fours and one six.