Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Final at Dhaka, Jan 27 2018 - Ball by Ball Commentary

Sri Lanka's players run in towards the trophy with glee written all over their faces. Boy must this victory taste sweet, after all they've been through over the last couple of years, especially 2017, which was an absolutely disastrous year for them. It looked like they would continue down that road when they kicked off this series with a brace of defeats. But how things can turn around in a couple of weeks. Sri Lanka looked like the least likely side to make the final and now here they stand champions. That wraps up our coverage of this game. But the world of cricket isn't going to sleep anytime soon. The India-South Africa Test is shaping up to be an exciting back-and-forth contest. And of course, we will have a ton of content streaming in post the opening day of the IPL auction. So suit yourselves and tuck in. From here, it's goodbye! Thanks for your company and comments!

7.50pm Presentations time.

"I think the bowling has been pretty good", says Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza. "We needed to take our chances chasing 220 but we bowled well. We unfortunately lost Shakin but that shouldn't be an excuse for this defeat. Mahmudullah batted very well. We thought 220-230 would have been perfect. We could have been a little better with the bowling perhaps, but we couldn't get any partnership going with the bat. Mahmudullah batted well but unfortunately it didn't prove good enough for the team. The fans have always been with us and supported us no matter what. Hopefully they will continue to support us.I wish the Test team all the very best."

Upul Tharanga is Man of the Match. "It was very difficult to score", he says. "According to the wicket and according to the plan, we batted really well. It was very difficult for even the best of batsmen to score. But Dickwella batted very well and gave us momentum. We knew we got a decent score and the first 10 overs would be crucial. Dushmantha bowled very well and the lines and lengths were very good."

Thisara Perera is Man of the Series for his brilliant performances with bat and ball. What a series he's had! "We came back strongly in the series, which is the team spirit Sri Lanka have," he says. "Kusal Mendis in form the last two games is a good sign for Sri Lankan cricket. Credit goes to batsmen and bowlers. I have worked with the bowling coach and it's worked for me."

"We are over the moon as a team", says Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal. "This is the hard work of everyone. After losing the first two games, the guys put their heart and soul in practice sessions and finally here we are, winners. We all know Bangladesh especially on home soil are playing very good cricket over the last two years. So we never underestimate the Bangladesh team. We needed one or two wickets, that's what I told the guys, and Akila Dhananjaya gave us those wickets. Upul and Niroshan and myself and Upul put up good partnerships. Madushanka is outtsanding. We all know he can bowl fast and that's why he came here. He's grabbed his chance. We're very happy he bowled well and this is a memorable moment for him. Angelo Mathews is the one who got us here and credit goes to him."

Mazahir: "You are on debut, only three wickets remaining and you are not in the wickets column. Suddenly you have some sort of record and hat-trick under your name. Congrats to Madushanka and SL. "

7.36pm Madushanka raises his arms triumphantly and his team-mates jump around him even as his face is lit up by a 100-watt smile. He's had a dream debut. He was thrown to the dogs in the final and he has more than held his own. The wickets may have come once the game was over, but mind you he bowled a pretty accurate first spell where he gave away little.

Don't forget the contributions of Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, and among the batsmen, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Dinesh Chandimal, who all chipped in with vital scores.

Bangladesh unfortunately lost Shakib Al Hasan to injury, but even without him, this was a shoddy and listless batting performance.

"It was a great occasion to prove ourselves and a great series win," says Danushka Gunathilaka. "We thought 220 would be a good score on this wicket which we managed to get. We knew our bowling attack is good. The ball didn't come on properly. Their fast bowlers and ours produced a lot of variations. Madushanka was surprised when the team was announced and a dream start to his international career. We train hard back home, so we really needed to win a series. We didn't do well in the last 6-7 months, so we badly needed to win the series."

Tasmeem: "I think Mashrafe should have come to bat before both Miraz and Saifuddin. Experience is needed in this sort of situation, and they both lacked it."