Muttiah Muralitharan, so often a match winner with the ball, was Sri Lanka’s hero with the bat Friday when he clubbed 33 to clinch the tri-series final against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh were dismissed for just 152 in the last over of their innings and still they almost achieved a miraculous victory having reduced the Sri Lankans to 6-5 until man of the match Kumar Sangakkara scored 59 from 132 balls to set up a tense climax.
Sri Lanka lost their eighth wicket when on 114 and still they required 39 with just Murali and Farveez Maharoof (38 not out from 76 balls) at the crease. But the duo did their jobs perfectly in combining for an unbroken ninth wicket stand.
Murali smashed four fours and two sixes as he made his runs from just 16 deliveries. It was an unlikely result given that the off-spinner is usually relied upon with a ball in his hand, not a bat.
The Bangladesh batsmen were earlier undone by the mystery finger spin of Ajantha Mendis, who claimed 3-24 and Murali chipped in with 2-33.
Despite the near miss from Bangladesh it was, nonetheless, another example of their improvement in the world game having also competed with New Zealand recently.
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