Master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan enjoyed the rare chance to win a match for Sri Lanka with the bat in a tense finish to the Tri-Nations final against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Muralitharan, who has an ODI batting average of just over six, crashed four fours and two sixes to steer the tourists to their target of 153 in a match where the specialist batsmen found scoring runs treacherous.

His 16-ball 33 not out, combined with a more measured 38no from Farveez Maharoof, saw Sri Lanka to a two-wicket victory which had seemed almost certain when they rolled the hosts over for a painstaking 152 in the first innings before a staggering sequence of dismissals at the start of the reply.

Mohammad Ashraful's side needed all but two balls of their 50-over allocation to achieve the modest total, with Ajantha Mendis returning an impressive three for 24 and Nuwan Kulasekara excelling with the new ball to claim three for 19.

At one stage Bangladesh slumped to 54 for five and were on course for an even lower total until Raqibul Hasan dug in for a watchful unbeaten 43.

Raqibul found some support from Mahmudullah (26) and Naeem Islam (21) but their efforts nevertheless appeared not to be enough.

But an amazing top order collapse - which saw Mahela Jayawardene's men first slip to four for three then, amazingly, to six for five - set up the prospect of an unlikely victory.

Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya was run out without a run on the board, while Upul Tharanga (one) and Jayawardene (nought) both departed to Nazmul Hossain (three for 30) in the space of three balls.

Chamara Kapugedera and Thilan Thushara were the next to go, both making just one.

Kumar Sangakkara provided the anchor his side desperately needed, hanging around long enough to make 59 precious runs as the wickets tumbled around him.

Farveez's 38 runs were also vital but the game was still weighted in Bangladesh's favour when the fall of Jehan Mubarak and Kulasekara brought Muralitharan to the crease.

He launched a full-on assault on Rubel Hossain - whose nine overs for 52 were comfortably the worst in a day dominated by the ball - to hand Sri Lanka victory with 11 balls remaining with a score of 153 for eight.