Ratnayake, bowlers help Sri Lanka secure bronze medal

Tharindu Ratnayake's counter-attacking 65 made a big difference as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh to win the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026. The game was dominated by bowlers. When Ratnayake and Sahan Arachchige joined forces for a blistering 93-run stand in the 11th over, Sri Lanka was in dire straits at 54 for 5. It drove Sri Lanka to 165/9, after which Bangladesh were bowled out for 102, Ratnayake taking two wickets for each of the four bowlers.

Sri Lanka's early momentum was shaken by Arachchige's decision to bat in the medal match. In the Powerplay, Mahedi and Aliss Al Islam wiped out the top four, putting them at 21/4 in the fourth over. Ashen Bandara and Arachchige arrested the slide briefly to take the team past 50 and the Powerplay. However, in the eleventh over, Rishad Hossain struck out Bandara, bringing Sri Lanka's score to 54/5. Then Ratnayake and Arachchige's whirlwind partnership began, with the former winning 65 of their 93 matches out of 44. The Sri Lankan captain had the best seat in the house because Ratnayake scored seven fours and five sixes in just 35 balls.

The stand started strong with a 25-run over from Mustafizur Rahman and a 16-run pick from Rishad. Rishad completed Sri Lanka's comeback with a 21-run over in the final five overs, scoring 61 runs. As it turned out, Bangladesh's total was well beyond their reach due to their own batting collapse.

Saif Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, and Litton Das, Bangladesh's top three, all scored ducks in the third over, reducing the total to 4/3. In the Powerplay, Ratnayake picked up Towhid Hridoy for his second wicket, reducing Bangladesh's score to 18/4 in the fourth over. The team advanced past the Powerplay thanks to Parvez Hossain and Yasir Ali, but they were unable to consolidate in the middle overs.

Vijayakanth Viyaskanth broke the stand with Parvez’s wicket and triggered another collapse. In just 18 deliveries, Bangladesh went from 50/5 to 72/8, effectively ending their pursuit. Bangladesh were bowled out for 102, 63 short of their target, by Sri Lanka's bowling quartet of Ratnayake (2-18), Nuwan Thushara (2-18), Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (2-26), and Wanuja Sahan (2-17).