‘Anyone can have a bad day’

Bangladesh captain Litton Das said his lead bowler had a "bad day" and the batters did not "take responsibility" after his side suffered a seven-wicket drubbing at the hands of hosts Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-match T20I series in Pallekele on Thursday.

Sent to bat, the visitors could not capitalise on a good start, reaching 54-1 after the Powerplay, owing to sluggish batting in the middle-order from all the batters.

Mohammad Naim, who usually opens the side, remained unbeaten on a 29-ball 32 after coming to bat at No.4 while Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29 off 23) and Tawhid Hridoy (10 off 13) also could not bat according to the situation.

Skipper Litton's willow once again did not produce sufficient runs, as the right-hander got trapped lbw after making six off 11 balls.

Opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who made 38 off 22, and Shamim Hossain, who hit a 5-ball 14 with a couple of sixes, were the only batters in the team who played with an attacking approach in the match.

"We didn't get many runs. A couple of balls stayed low and it did so in the second half as well. It's not just today's game, last 7-8 matches, I think the batters who are in have to take responsibility," Litton said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

The fate of the match was a forgone conclusion after the explosive opening stand between Nissanka and Mendis, which yielded 78 off just the 28 deliveries.

Both batters teed off in the Powerplay and the onslaught began from the very first over when Nissanka greeted the returning Mohammad Saifuddin with a trifecta of fours in the first three balls.

Taskin did not fare any better in the Powerplay either, leaking 16 and 18 from the second and fourth over respectively, while Tanzim Sakib conceded 16 from the third.

Miraz broke the explosive stand by getting Nissanka, who hit a 16-ball 42 with five fours and three sixes, caught at mid-on.

Sri Lanka ended up scoring their highest ever Powerplay score in T20Is, 83-1, and casually strolled to the target with six balls in hand with Mendis playing the starring role with a 73 off 51 balls.

Spinners Rishad Hossain and Miraz finished with identical figures of 24-1 while Taskin, the most experienced bowler in the attack, got taken to the cleaners, finishing 43-0 in three overs.

"I thought 170 would have been a good score for our bowlers. But they weren't good, Taskin is our lead bowler but anyone can have a bad day.

"[Rishad] He bowled really well. In this kind of wicket if you bowl the right area, it's more difficult for the batters to adjust."

The second T20I will take place in Dambulla on Sunday.