Sri Lanka sweep ODI series

New-look Sri Lanka trounced Bangladesh by six wickets in the third and final one-day international in Dhaka on Saturday to sweep the series 3-0.

Seamer Dhammika Prasad claimed three wickets in his first match of the series as the tourists restricted Bangladesh to 240-8 after electing to field in the day-night match.

Kusal Perera, a 23-year-old left-handed opener, then hit a maiden one-day century as Sri Lanka surpassed the target with 15 deliveries to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Perera hit a belligerent 106 off 124 balls with six boundaries and five sixes, sharing a third-wicket stand of 138 with Dinesh Chandimal, who scored 64.

Sri Lanka ended the month-long tour on a high, having also won both the preceding Test and Twenty20 series. But the victory on Saturday was sweeter as Sri Lanka took the field without either of their three veterans, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, for the first time in a one-dayer since 2000.

Jayawardene and Dilshan were nursing injuries, while Sangakkara was rested ahead of the five-nation Asia Cup which opens in Bangladesh on Tuesday.

The bowling was also depleted in the absence of pace spearhead Lasith Malinga, who was given a break, and the injured duo of seamer Nuwan Kulasekara and spinner Rangana Herath.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews said the series provided useful preparation for the Asia Cup, where the other contenders are India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the hosts.