Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 2005-06

At Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, August 31, 2005. Sri Lanka won by 88 runs. Toss: Bangladesh. One-day international debut: Syed Rasel.

Bangladesh's pre-tour optimism evaporated after a feeble performance in the series opener. Their bowlers and butter-fingered fielders, who dropped catches and squandered run-out chances, wasted a useful toss on a steamy morning. Upul Tharanga, dropped at slip when eight, rode his luck for a maiden international fifty, and Atapattu buckled down for a hard-working 55. But the limelight was stolen by Jayawardene, who stroked a 35-ball 50 to lift Sri Lanka to an imposing total. Bangladesh started promisingly: Javed Omar cracked three belligerent boundaries, before Arnold started the slide with a direct hit from backward point. Fernando, back in the side after injury, struck with a peach of a leg-cutter, and then broke through again with a slower ball. By the 29th over Bangladesh were in a hopeless position at 103 for eight, whereupon Khaled Mashud opted for 21 overs of batting practice, much to the frustration of a small crowd.

Man of the Match: D. P. M. D. Jayawardene.