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Colombo – Sri Lanka put on a clinical performance with bat and ball to record a 122-run win in the third and final one-day international and complete a clean sweep over Bangladesh in Colombo on Wednesday.

Former captain Angelo Mathews led Sri Lanka with 87 off 90 balls, guiding the side to 294-8 before Dasun Shanaka backed his 30 off 14 with three wickets for 27 runs to complete the rout.

Somuya Sarkar hit the only half-century for Bangladesh, 69 off 86 balls, but it gave Sri Lanka no trouble as the visitors were bowled out for 172.

Kasun Rajitha (2-17) and Lahiru Kumara (2-26) complemented Shanaka with the ball to complete the victory in 36 overs.

Leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya deceived Soumya with his flight to bowl the left-hander in the 32nd over for his only wicket, rendering the rest of the game a mere formality.

Tail-ender Taijul Islam’s unbeaten 39 off 28 balls only managed to entertain a sparse crowd at the R. Premadasa Stadium and delay the result.  

“I worked hard after getting dropped from the side. I was confident with my batting which helped me perform well. We’re all relieved as a team because we performed together,” Shanaka said after the match.

The home side won the first two matches respectively by 91 runs and seven wickets.   

“There are a lot of negatives, starting from myself to the team. We have to hold it tight and come back strong,” said Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who scored 21 runs in the three matches.

Mathews and Kusal Mendis, who made 54 off 58 balls, set the platform for Sri Lanka’s big innings after skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat first. 

Mathews and Mendis put on 101 for the fourth wicket.

Bangladesh got an early breakthrough when Shafiul Islam removed Avishka Fernando for six but Karunaratne (46) and Kusal Perera (42) steadied the innings with an 83-run stand.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam removed Karunaratne to break the partnership and Rubel Hossain got rid of Perera in the next over to bring Bangladesh back into the contest.

But Mathews and Mendis snatched the momentum back thanks to some sloppy fielding by Bangladeshi players.

Mushfiqur Rahim dropped Mathews on 32 off Shafiul before Sabbir Rahman gave the former Sri Lankan captain another life on 63 off Mehidy Hasan’s bowling. 

Mathews, who hit eight fours and a six, was finally dismissed by Soumya Sarkar in the last over but not before Bangladesh reviewed a caught behind appeal initially dismissed by on-field umpire.

Soumya finished with 3-56 while medium pace Shafiul also claimed 3-68.

The island nation’s cricket board has dedicated the match to pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara who announced his retirement last week.

Tamim-led Bangladesh wore black armbands to pay respect to their first national captain, Shamim Kabir, who died on Monday.

Meanwhile,  Australia head into the first Test at Edgbaston today determined to complete “unfinished business” as they look to end their long record without a win at England’s ‘fortress’.

You have to go back to the 2001 Ashes for the last time Australia enjoyed a victory of any kind at the Birmingham ground.

That winless streak across all formats at Warwickshire’s headquarters was extended to 15 matches when they lost to England in a World Cup semi-final earlier this month.

By contrast, England have won their last 11 internationals at the ground.

With England looking to regain the Ashes, and Australia not having won them on English soil in 19 years, Edgbaston appears to be the perfect venue for the series opener from the home side’s perspective.

But Australia’s Matthew Wade said the tourists would love nothing more than to make a little bit of history of their own at the venue. 

“I feel like Edgbaston is unfinished business for a lot of us,” said Wade, who is hoping to make his first Test appearance in almost two years.

“A lot of us haven’t got good memories here, so we have to create some now. They’ve got a great record here but what’s happened before doesn’t really matter.

“I think this is the start of another chapter and we’re excited to get out there. Edgbaston is a hectic crowd, all the crowds are over here, but as long as we’re enjoying each other’s company out there then the other noise doesn’t really bother us.”

Wade made his name as a wicketkeeper but with the gloves now taken by Australia captain Tim Paine, a fellow Tasmanian, the 31-year-old is looking to relaunch his Test career as a specialist batsman.

“I basically started a whole different career playing solely as a batter,” said Wade, a veteran of 22 Tests.

“Being here is a reward for a lot of hard work over a two-year period. I’ve really enjoyed not keeping…there’s not that sickening feeling every time you walk out to keep in a session.

“I find it a lot easier to streamline my training. When you’re keeping in Test cricket you have to put a boatload of work into it. 

“Over in England it’s as important as scoring runs.” – AFP.