Skipper Angelo Mathews held his nerve under pressure and led from the front with an unbeaten half-century as Sri lanka registered a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the concluding league fixture of the Asia Cup here on Thursday.
Sri lanka chased down the 205-run target with an over to spare, thereby maintaining there unbeaten streak in the tournament, after Bangladesh opted to bat in the inconsequential match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.
Having already made the final alongside Pakistan, Sri lanka were in big trouble at eight for three in the third over, before being reduced to 75 for five at the midway stage by a spirited Bangladesh attack.
But Mathews (74) did not panic as he struck seven boundaries and one six en route to his 19th ODI half century, finishing the chase by pulling Arafat Sunny for a boundary.
The skipper found a perfect ally in Chaturanga de Silva (44 from 52 balls; 5x4) and the duo stitched 82 brisk runs for the sixth wicket.
With four wins from as many matches, the lankans finished atop the table with 17 points, while Pakistan finished with 13 points. India (9) and Afghanistan (4) ended at third and fourth places, while hosts Bangladesh finished with the wooden spoon with four defeats.
The summit clash will be held here on Saturday.
Brief Scores
Bangladesh: 204/9 in 50 overs (Anamul Haque 49; Ashan Priyanjan 2/11) lost to Sri lanka: 208/7 in 49 overs (Angelo Mathews 74*, Chaturanga de Silva 44).