Death by Wides! How Bangladesh Gift-Wrapped Sri Lanka’s Win In The Asia Cup

Jatin

Bangladesh bowled 16 wides [Source: AFP Photos]Bangladesh bowled 16 wides [Source: AFP Photos]

When you are defending 139 in a T20 and you leak freebies like confetti, the game is as good as gone. That is exactly what happened in Abu Dhabi as Bangladesh didn’t just lose to Sri Lanka, they handed them the chase on a platter, thanks to an astonishing 16 wides that bled momentum at every crucial point.

The Drip Became a Flood

This wasn’t just sloppy bowling, this was a slow implosion that turned a low-scoring scrap into a walk in the park. Early on, Bangladesh actually had a sniff. Mustafizur Rahman nicked off Kusal Mendis cheaply in the second over and Shoriful Islam was landing them on a string.

Then came the first signs of the dam cracking, a couple of loose wides from both ends and suddenly the run rate graph stopped climbing like a mountain and started sliding like a slide.

It was death by a thousand paper cuts. One wide in the first, another in the second, then the chaos:

  • 1.2 Mustafizur: 1 wide way outside off to Kusal Mendis
  • 2.4 Shoriful: 1 wide to Kamil Mishara
  • 4.2 Shoriful: 2 wides down leg when Mishara was struggling
  • 7.3 Rishad Hossain: 5 wides that screamed panic
  • 9.3 Mustafizur: 5 wides that all but handed Sri Lanka their 100

Each one chipped away at Bangladesh’s grip until they had none left.

Pressure Went Out The Window

Every wide meant a free ball, a free run, and worst of all, a free reset for the set batters. And with two in-form batters like Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara at the crease, you don’t give them second chances, you shut the door on them. Instead, Bangladesh left the door open, rolled out a red carpet, and offered drinks on the way in.

Sri Lanka’s batters didn’t even need to take big risks; they just sat back, waited for the free runs and pounced on the predictable balls that followed. You could almost see the shoulders drop in the Bangladesh field. Dot-ball pressure? Vanished. Plans? Torn to shreds.

After the 2 wides in the fifth over by Shoriful, Kamil Mishara flipped the switch. From being on the back foot, Mishara suddenly shifted gears, like someone had cut the brakes.

The very next few balls told the story: 4.4 SIX, 4.5 FOUR, 4.6 FOUR, all off Shoriful, who had been Bangladesh’s most disciplined bowler till then. It was a counter-punch that knocked the wind out of their sails.

Sri Lanka’s run rate jumped from 5.6 to 8.8 in one over. The chase graph flattened, the asking rate dipped below 7 and Bangladesh’s shoulders visibly slumped.

16 Wides = 3 Free Overs

If you strip it down to cold numbers, those 16 wides gave Sri Lanka nearly three extra overs without them having to swing the bat. In a chase of 140, that is game-changing.

And the timing of those wides made it worse. They didn’t come when the game was dead. They came bang in the middle overs, just when Bangladesh needed to squeeze and stall. Instead of building dots, they built Sri Lanka’s confidence.

Bangladesh had one man who showed control: Mahedi Hasan. He finished with 4-0-29-2 and didn’t send down a single wide. Everyone else lost the plot as lines drifted, radar went missing and Sri Lanka didn’t need a plan B.

This loss won’t go down to just Nissanka’s 50 or Mishara’s 46*. It will be remembered as the night Bangladesh bowled themselves out of the game, one loose ball at a time.