The big bat and tricky spin of Tharindu Ratnayake helped Sri Lanka to the Asian Games bronze.
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From 21 for 4 to a Medal
Is there a player who could turn a lost game around all by themselves? Yes, there is, and his name is Tharindu Ratnayake.
Sri Lanka were in trouble at 21 for 4, but they ended the day with the Asian Games 2026 bronze medal, defeating fellow qualifier Bangladesh by 63 runs in Nisshin. Here’s how it happened.
Match facts at a glance:
- Result: Sri Lanka won by 63 runs.
- Sri Lanka’s score: 165 for 9.
- Bangladesh’s score: 102 all out in 17.3 overs.
- Star of the day: Tharindu Ratnayake (65 runs and 2 wickets).
The Big Fight Back
Sri Lanka struggled at the beginning of the innings, and the crowd grew restless after losing four early wickets. Ratnayake, however, walked in and turned the game on its head.
Ratnayake hit 65 from 32 balls with 7 fours and 5 sixes. He played the switch-hit and leg-side sweep shots, both of which see the batsman change his shot at the last moment. The bowlers were left guessing at what he would do next.
His partner, captain Sahan Arachchige, remained at the other end in a composed manner and scored 33 from 32 balls. Their 93-run stand in 46 balls was a vital contribution from the sixth wicket.
Bangladesh helped Sri Lanka along as well. Mustafizur Rahman had a difficult over that cost them 25 runs. There were seven wides, two no-balls and some boundaries in the innings.
A bad over for Bangladesh saw the Sri Lankan batters scoring freely and regaining their confidence. Sri Lanka wrapped up on 165 for 9, a score that seemed out of reach an hour earlier.
The Two-Armed Trick
Now for the fun part! Ratnayake can bowl with both arms! He mixed up right-arm off-breaks and left-arm spin in the same over, keeping the batters guessing.
He took 2 wickets for 18 runs, including Tanzid Hasan and Towhid Hridoy.
Bangladesh’s top order had their problems as well. The first three batters, Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das, scored zero runs. Nuwan Thushara’s swing and Ratnayake’s clever bowling saw the Sri Lankan batters finish off.
Spinners wrapped the innings up:
- Vijayakanth Viyaskanth: 2 wickets for 26 runs.
- Wanuja Sahan: 2 wickets for 17 runs.
- Bangladesh were all out for 102, and the medal for Sri Lanka.
This win shows that a team can have a good game even if they aren’t playing to their full potential. Sri Lanka made a mess at first, but the pressure was taken off when one clever player came in.
Bangladesh did the reverse; they bowled mostly wide and no-ball deliveries and lost three wickets with no runs on the board. In big games like these, free runs and ducks are very costly mistakes.
Why Is This Important?
The Final Word
Sri Lanka lost their semifinal match against India, but they didn’t give up. They batted on and won the bronze! Bangladesh now has a few problems to solve. They’ll need to work on their top order and also their bowling at the end of an innings.
Ratnayake has shown that a clever mind can take a game by storm.
What do you think about this? Was Ratnayake the best player of the Asian Games?
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