Sri Lanka, Bangladesh romp home against minnows

With the finalists already having been spotted at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-15 tournament in Malaysia, two matches of relatively less significance ended as one sided encounters on Thursday. Sri Lanka beat minnows Hong Kong by the thumping margin of ten wickets. In the other match of the day, Bangladesh, aspiring to be a force among the Test playing nations, brushed aside Thailand by 210 runs.

At the Royal Military College, Sri Lanka won the toss and put Hong Kong in to bat. The inexperience of Hong Kong showed through clearly as only vice captain Raj Putanda made it to double figures. Extras, with 17 runs, was by far the top scorer. Ranesh Nishan with the remarkable figures of 3-2-1-4 was easily the pick of the bowlers. Eight of the Hong Kong batsmen were dismissed before they got off the mark. Hong Kong were shot out for 38 runs in 22.1 overs and the Lankans coasted home without losing any wickets in just 5.3 overs.

The other match was no less one sided. Bangladesh put in to bat, made merry against Thailand. Kazi Hastrul Haq, opening the batting, flogged an almost run a ball century and powered Bangladesh to a mammoth 244 in 39.2 overs. The game was all but over when Thailand came in to bat. Chasing the target was never quite on, but the least the Thailand team could have done was put up a good fight. Capitulating to 34 all out in 20.5 overs was hardly the way to do that. The wickets were spread evenly around for the Lankans with D Edwards and Arjun Kumar bagging three wickets apiece.