Bangladesh bemoan their luck at running into hat-trick hero Vaas

Bangladesh were completely overwhelmed by Sri Lanka, going down by ten wickets at Pietermaritzburg. It began to go wrong from the very first ball of the day when Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas began his hat-trick, and he took another wicket with his fifth ball. Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud was asked just what had happened in that first over?

"A combination of bad shots, and Vaas bowling very well," he said. "The first dismissal was a poor shot and the pitch conditions were good, but we would have batted first if we'd won the toss because the pitch was good. The problem is the batting especially in the top order."

The captain refuses to blame World Cup pressures for the poor performances. "This is not an issue. The team played in South Africa before. Furthermore, the batsmen have scored well against other international sides before.

"We have to forget the games lost. We now have to focus on the games ahead."

Hat-trick hero Vaas said that he always bowls the first ball of a match to take a wicket, but how did he feel having taken one with the first and second balls, and then ran in to bowl the hat-trick ball?

"I bowled another in-swinger which left him at the very last moment. I just wanted to get the ball in the right spot and I managed to that, so I am very grateful.

"I feel fit and confident at the moment, so I just want to be able to continue bowling like this for the next few games."

His captain Sanath Jayasuriya was delighted with the way Vaas bowled, especially as he had put Bangladesh in to bat. "He bowled brilliantly and hit hat-trick changed the match," he said.

"The wicket was a bit damp and seeing the performance of the bowlers, it was a successful decision to put them in."

Sri Lanka have now won two out of two, and have an easier match coming up on Wednesday when they play Canada, but Jayasuriya is taking nothing for granted. "We are playing our natural game and approaching each game seriously. There are no light games for us."