da betcris： After three days of performing the role of a weather reporterat Dhaka, scribes finally had a chance to do what they had comehere for
da marjack bet： Anand Vasu29-May-2000After three days of performing the role of a weather reporterat Dhaka, scribes finally had a chance to do what they had comehere for. A window of opportunity in the form of a spell of goodweather made play possible at the Bangabandhu Stadium. If thesun gods took mercy and shone hard all afternoon, Aravinda deSilva took over under the lights and dazzled. An unbeaten 96from the veteran in his first knock as opener saw Sri Lanka breezeto a nine-wicket victory in the opening match of the seventhAsia Cup.When Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and putthe hosts in to bat, Chaminda Vaas responded well, accountingfor two wickets in quick time. Even as Javed Omar waged a lonebattle at one end, Bangladesh slowly but steadily lost wicketsat the other end. Former skipper Akram Khan gave Omar good companywhile he was at the crease with some solid blows. The two cametogether with Bangladesh on 27/3 and pushed the score past thehundred mark. Just when Akram Khan looked like he was attemptingto push the scoring rate, he feel to a good running catch inthe outfield by Upul Chandana off the bowling of Aravinda deSilva. Earlier in the over he struck two boundaries off the spinnerbut could not keep the momentum going.After the fall of the burly Akram Khan, Omar found no one topartner him in any meaningful manner. Although he helped himselfto an unbeaten 85, Bangladesh could muster only 175 in theirallotted 50 overs.Debutant Kaushalya Weeraratne, who impressed with his mediumpacersin the recently concluded Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka, was apicture of delight when he picked up his first wicket in OneDay Internationals with just the fifth ball he bowled. He endedwith the most respectable figures of 7-1-18-1If watching Bangladesh take the field against the former World Cup championswas reward enough for the crowd at the Bangabandhu Stadium, AravindaDe Silva’s silken touch at the top of the innings was an unexpectedbonus. When asked before the tournament, the Sri Lankan managementdid not either confirm or deny the rumours that De Silva wouldopen the innings. Partnering the explosive Jayasuriya who isnot in the best of nick, De Silva unveiled his complete arrayof strokes. Starting with a trademark pull shot, he lacedthe ball through the covers at will. Finding the gaps with consummateease, De Silva thoroughly justified Dav Whatmore’s experimentof using him at the top of the innings.Even the loss of Jayasuriya to a rush of blood did not slow downDe Silva. Marvan Attapattu joined De Silva in the middle andthe two made the best of a flat batting track. Before the 31stover could be completed, De Silva was close to a century, Attapattuon 41 and Sri Lanka past the target.Naimur Rehman, who was run out without facing a ball earlierin the day, grassed a catch that De Silva offered when he wasjust 13. When De Silva walked up to receive the man of the matchaward, all Rehman could do was stand back, applaud and rue hisluck.If De Silva’s innings today was a hint of things to come, itwill take more than luck to stop the Lankans in this series.
