Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will face each other in the fifth game of the ongoing Asia Cup at Abu Dhabi.
Match Preview:
So far, the Asia Cup has witnessed one-sided and uneven contests but this one is going to be classic when old foes collide for the super four spot in this tournament. Bangladesh have already played a game versus Hong Kong and will enter the stadium with some hope and excitement.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will be playing their first game of this season. They need to be crucial as they are literally placed in a death group. Today, if any of this team loses, it would become tough for them to qualify for the next stage since Afghanistan is also placed in group B.
Bangladesh enjoyed a great outing vs Hong Kong as their pacers clicked and the top-order delivered as well. Recently, in July, they won a T20i series against Sri Lanka too and stood victorious in their last ICC T20i meeting at Dallas.
The Bengal Tigers would be hoping that their skipper Liton Das, who was top-run scorer in the bilateral vs Sri Lanka as well, would deliver at the top with the bat. Das is just 56 runs away to become the country’s most prolific scorer in the T20 format. The heroics would be expected from Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, and Rishad Hossain who were impressive in the Sri Lanka series as well.
Talking about Sri Lanka, they won the last T20 edition of the Asia Cup and reached the final in the 2023 as well, although, failed miserably. The batting has been their problem but with Pathum Nissanka taking charge, one can expect a better outing this time. They recently played Zimbabwe in a T20i series, although in one game, they were bundled out for just 80, which again highlights their batting woes. Kusal Mendis and Perera would be eager to contribute as well.
With Hasarang back in the side, as he missed out Zimbabwe series due to hamstring injury, Sri Lanka would be quite optimistic as he is one of the best players in the current T20 circuit. His ability to swing the bat makes him special.
Probable Playing XI:
Bangladesh (possible): 1 Pervez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.
Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Binura Fernando, 11 Nuwan Thushara.
Pitch and weather report:
Although it sometimes offers something for the slower bowlers as well, the Abu Dhabi pitch is usually batting-friendly. On Saturday, there won’t be any rain.
Head-to-head record:
In their 20 meetings in T20 internationals, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have a slim 12-to-8 win margin.
Predictions:
It is hard to predict but Bangladesh have a slight edge in this encounter given they recently beat Sri Lanka in the T20 series and have already featured in this Asia Cup.
Where to Watch:
India: Sony Liv app and website (sonyliv.com).
Pakistan: Tamasha and Myco
Sri Lanka: Dialog ViU app
Bangladesh: Toffee and Tapmad.
UAE and Mena region: StarzPlay
Afghanistan: Toffee app and websites
