Bangladesh will lock horns with Sri Lanka on Sunday for a 3-match ODI series to be hosted in Bangladesh. The Tigers will go against Sri Lanka in their maiden game of this series at Sher-e Bangla National Stadium. The match begins at 2:00 pm (IST) afternoon. The Match will be part of the ODI Super League conducted by ICC. The match will be played within a secure bio-bubble.
Match Preview
The Shere Bangla National Stadium named after AK Fazlul Haque is located in Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The ground is listed amongst the best in the business when it comes to efficient drainage systems. There are very minimal chances of precipitation in Dhaka. It will be hot and humid during these three days. The average temperature will be around 35 degrees.
It will be a favourable wicket for both the teams. Seamers and spinners will get equal advantage during the match. As the game progresses it will be easier for the batting side. Hence the toss will be a factor in this game.
Bangladesh Team News
Tamim Iqbal will lead this team once again into the ODI series going against Sri Lanka; this time in their own home ground. Bangladesh lost in their previous outing with New Zealand and are currently on a winless run for quite a while. Shakib Al Hasan’s return to the squad and will provide a huge boost to the team. Bangladesh are currently on the sixth position in the Super League table; having played 6 games out of which they have lost 3 and won 3.
The squad needs to buckle up if they want to strengthen their position in the Super League. Playing all three games at home will supposedly make an impact on their ongoing poor form. Bangladesh were blown away by the Kiwis in their previous limited-overs series which was hosted in New Zealand. The Kiwis emerged victorious in all three matches while playing Bangladesh.
The onus will be on Shakib al Hasan as he returns to the side and is said to have occupied the third position in the batting order. Shakib who has been a perpetual threat to the opposition will give Bangladesh that extra bit of confidence to bounce back when needed. The Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) has announced a 15-man squad for the first two games against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh Squad: Liton Kumar Das, Afif Hossain, Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Md Mithun; Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib al Hasan; Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Md Shaif Uddin, Soumya Sarkar, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman,.
Sri Lanka Team News
The Sri Lankan side is said to have arrived at Bangladesh on 16th May. Kusal Perera will captain his side to face Bangladesh away from their home. Sri Lanka’s previous limited-overs outing was just as disappointing as Bangladesh’s. West Indies whitewashed Sri Lanka and won all the three ODI matches emerging as the dominant side out of the two. The defeat will weigh heavy on the shoulders of the Lions as they were thrashed in their own home ground.
This time ahead the Sri Lankan team has decided to field an inexperienced team going against the Tigers. A 18-man squad has been named and surprisingly the senior players have been excluded from the list. Players like Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and even the skipper Dimuth Karunaratne have not been called up after the defeat against West Indies.
This exclusion of such experienced players from the side will make it increasingly difficult for Sri Lanka to face Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka Squad– Kusal Mendis (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Asitha Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Shiran Fernando, Binura Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka; Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanka, Isuru Udana, Niroshan Dickwella, Dushmantha Chameera, Ramesh Mendis; Ashen Bandara, Akila Dhananjaya, Kusal Perera (C), Lakshan Sandakan,.
Stats
Bangladesh emerges second best-going head to head against Sri Lanka. Both these teams have clashed a total of 48 times out of which Sri Lanka takes a heavy lead of 39 wins.
The ground which will prove to be advantageous to the team batting second has an average score of 229 runs. According to previous records a score between 200-250 is most likely to be achieved.
Conclusion
Bangladesh find themselves at luck as they will be facing a Sri Lankan side who are without their senior players. It will definitely make the Tigers more favourites to win this tie and make a proper comeback into the Super League
