The optimism encouraged the team think-tank to decide to field first in the day-night match after winning the toss but ultimately the decision back-fired as inform Sri Lanka piled up a huge total of 302 for eight wickets in their share of 50 overs, courtesy of a brilliant hundred by Upul Tharanga.

It was learnt that two factors played in skipper Habibul Bashar's mindone was that they won their lone match against the islanders by chasing down the target at Bogra last February and another was that if Mashrafee Bin Mortuza and Syed Rasel could ensure early success than they could have a chance to restrict their opponents in reasonable total.

But the ploy ultimately did not work as Bangladesh had to look to the two left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique and Abdur Razzak to salvage them from embarrassment.

Tharanga and his senior partner Sanath Jayasuriya, who initially survived a very close call from Mashrafee which West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor turned down, gave no chance to ride on them though they struggled a little bit against the movement of Tigers number one paceman Mashrafee.

The expectation however was high on left-arm paceman Syed Rasel who made the team think-tank believe after the lone practice game that he could play a vital role in the match as he has the ability to swung the ball both ways, but the dashing Jayasuriya smashed two boundaries through cover in his fourth over to exterminate his nerve.

Rasel scalped two wickets in his ten over spell including the one of Jayasuriya, who fell victim of a leg before decision for a 46-ball 31, but was the most expensive giving away 65 runs. The two other seamers costly figures reflected how the Bangladesh pace department failed to justify their captain's decision to field first.

Mashrafee conceded 60 runs with one success in his ten overs quota while the inexperienced Forhad Reza, who had struggled to find his line and length, conceded 63 runs in eight overs without success.

But it was Mohammad Rafique who helped his side to check the run rates in the middle and captured the prize wicket of Kumara Sangakara (22 off 23 balls) to finish with figures of one for 37 in 10 overs while Razzak took two wickets for 49 in 10 overs.

On the other hand, thr Sri Lanka innings was built around a scintillating century by left-handed batsman Tharanga, who became the only batsman in one-day history to score five hundreds in his first 30 one-day matches.

The 21-year old left-hander played shots all over the park to make 105 off 129 balls that featured eleven boundaries and one six and it was his second one-day ton against Bangladesh.

He got valuable support from his skipper Mahlea Jayawardene (35 off 24 balls) and fit-again Marvan Atapattu, who played his first match after recovering from injury, who added 40 off 42 balls.

There sole encouraging factor in the session was that Bangladesh fielding looked sharp as they affected two brilliant run outs in the Sri Lanka innings.