Hosts sign off with limp loss

Bangladesh 278-8 (50 overs, Sakib Al Hasan 67, Mehrab Hossain 66 not out); Sri Lanka 180 (44.5 overs, D.Cooray 58). Bangladesh won by 98 runs.

Hosts Sri Lanka signed off from the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup with a limp defeat to Bangladesh in the Super League play-off final on Saturday.

The Tigers reached 278-8, their highest total of the tournament, after being put into bat and then dismissed their opponents for 180 in 44.5 overs.

It meant Bangladesh finished as the fifth-ranked side of the 16 teams on show, their best-ever result in this competition.

Bangladesh's innings was one of fits and starts. They adopted an aggressive approach right from the start but lost early wickets because of it and slipped to 66-3 as Shalika Karunanayake (4-63) and Thisara Perera (1-50) removed Mehedi Hasan Siddiqui (21), Roqibul Hassan (11) and Sirajullah Khadem (9).

But that brought together Sakib Al Hasan (67) and Md.Shamsur Rahman (35) and they launched the first of the recoveries for Bangladesh.

The duo added 85 for the fourth wicket in quick time with Sakib playing very aggressively, scoring his runs from just 43 balls with eight fours while Shamsur's 35 came from just 39 balls with four fours.

The pair carried Bangladesh along at more than six runs an over and a total well in excess of 300 looked possible until Shamsur was run out and that was the cue for Sri Lanka to fight their way back into the game.

With Rajeewa Weerasinghe (1-43) bowling impressively the visitors slipped again until Mehrab Hossain (66 not out) and Md Sohrawardi (42) joined forces for another aggressive partnership.

The pairing added 80 for the seventh wicket with Mehrab hitting five fours and a six from 81 balls while Sohrawardi scored his runs from just 40 deliveries, hitting three fours and a six. It was entertaining batting.

The other bowlers used by Sri Lanka were Chathupama Gunasinghe (0-32), Malinga Pushpakumara (0-21) and Sachith Pathirana (1-61).

Sri Lanka had chased 257 to beat Zimbabwe but they never looked likely to do something similar in this match. They lost wickets at regular intervals and only Dilhan Cooray, one of their most consistent performers with the bat in this tournament, passed 30.

Cooray made 58 from 81 balls with six fours and a six but without support it was a hopeless task for him to try and lead the run chase.

Bangladesh used eight bowlers with Sohrawardi (2-21), Rezaul Islam (2-31), Mehrab Hossain (2-13) all among the wickets.

Other successful bowlers were seamer Dollar Mahmud (1-22), Nabil Samad Chowdhury (1-29) and Sakib Al Hasan (1-34) as spin once again played a key role in securing the win for the Tigers.

Bangladesh coach Allister de Winter said after the match: "This was as good as we could hope for in the circumstances and it was pleasing the way the boys bounced back after the disappointment of the loss to England.

"We tried a different strategy at the top of the order and then consolidated through the middle of the innings and we were always confident we could get a good total as we bat right down to number 10.

"278 was always going to be a hard target for them with the wicket slowing up and our fielding was outstanding.

"This will mean a lot to the community back home as we have beaten two more Test teams after losing in the quarter-finals and it shows we are competitive.

"We have got a special group of players here and we would like to keep them together for as long as possible and we hope to do that thanks to the excellent support we are getting from the cricket board back home."

Sri Lanka coach Sumithra Waranakulasuriya was not quite as upbeat in his assessment of his players when he said: "It is very disappointed the way we lost, that we could not perform to the level expected.

"We should have had enough quality to put on a good show but we are very inconsistent and seem to have been like this for a long time.

"I hope the players have learnt something from the tournament. At times, like against Zimbabwe, you see them and think they have but there is no consistency there at the moment."