Sports Reporter :
Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket team clinched the Youth ODI series 3-2 when they beat Sri Lanka Under-19 Cricket team by 14 runs in the fifth and final ODI at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Sunday.
Electing to bat first, Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket team made a fighting 212 for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted 50 overs and then they bowled out their counterpart for 198 off 48.5 overs.
Bangladesh faced a debacle as they lost their early three wickets for 86 runs.
Then Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Hasan repaired the damage adding together 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Zakir Hasan was caught behind by PVR de Silva off AM Fernando when Bangladesh’s total was 168 for the loss of four wickets.
Later, Bangladesh failed to build any notable partnership.
Nazmul Hossain Shanto hit a brilliant 92 from 112 balls featuring eight fours.
Zakir Hasan was the other notable run getter for the tourists who scored 42 off 62 balls including two fours and a sixer.
AMEM Amarasinghe and AM Fernando bagged three wickets each at the cost of 20 and 50 runs respectively.
Besides, DS Tillakaratne and KN Peiris got one wicket each.
Sri Lanka made a solid start as the two openers MSU Pereira and WWWL Lakshan contributing together 82 runs before Lakshan was caught by Mehedy Hasan off Sanjit Saha.
After dismissal of Lakshan, Sri Lankan batsmen failed to make any remarkable partnership.
MSU Pereira knocked a fine 53 from 89 balls with three fours while Lakshan hit a polished 42 off 60 balls featuring four fours and a six.
Saleh Ahmed of Bangladesh was the peak of the Bangladeshi bowlers who grabbed three wickets instead of 48 runs.
Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedy Hasan and Sanjit Saha gave him a good support in wrecking Sri Lanka innings bagging a pair of wickets each for 31, 32 and 33 runs respectively.
