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Bangladesh will host Sri Lanka in the first game of the three-match ODI series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.
The two teams will be eyeing important points in the ongoing 13-team ICC Super League, which determines direct qualification spots for the 2023 World Cup in India.
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka suffered the same fate in their last ODI series. The two Asian rivals went down heavily in their respective previous series in New Zealand and West Indies.
While the Bangladeshi Tigers were hammered 3-0 by the Kiwis, the Lankan Lions also went down just as heavily against the Calypso Kings.
Bangladesh are currently positioned sixth in the points table, whereas Sri Lanka are languishing at twelfth in the 13-team league standings.
The forthcoming series gives them a chance to improve their ranking and make a genuine attempt at finishing within the top 8 sides, which will give them direct qualification for the next World Cup.
Key Players
Kusal Perera will have a lot of focus and attention on him during the trip to Bangladesh as he is the newly appointed Sri Lanka ODI captain. Perera, who is the latest to don the captaincy hat for the Lankan Lions, will have the extra responsibilities on his shoulders now. An explosive left-hand batsman, Perera has played 101 ODIs for Sri Lanka with 2,825 runs at a strike-rate of 92.62. Perera, however, averages only a shade over 30 in his 50-over career, which he will have to improve and resurrect during his tenure at the helm.
Danushka Gunathilaka was Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in the ODI series against West Indies earlier in the year. Gunathilaka made 187 runs from his 3 innings at an average of 62.33 and had a strike-rate of 95.89. The left-hand opening batsman made two half-centuries versus the Calypso Kings but will be eyeing a big score against the Bangladeshis. Gunathilaka has now played 41 ODIs for Sri Lanka with a career tally of 1,436 runs at an average of 36.82 and strike-rate of 87.08.
In his young career, Wanindu Hasaranga has already emerged as a bright all-round prospect for Sri Lanka. In the series against West Indies, Hasaranga batted competently lower down the order and also bowled quite incisively. Hasaranga made 130 runs at a strike-rate of 135.41 in the Caribbean and delivered his quota of overs at an economy rate of just 4.10. With his ability to hit the ball hard at the end and defeat batsmen with his variations, Hasaranga will be one of the dangerous men for Bangladesh.
Shakib Al Hasan will bolster Bangladesh with his return after missing the trip to New Zealand. The ace all-rounder is easily Bangladesh’s greatest-ever cricketer to have played at the international stage. Shakib has now played 209 ODIs with 6,436 runs at an average of 37.86 and strike-rate of 82.35. And 266 wickets at an average of 29.73 and an economy rate of 4.45. After an indifferent IPL 2021 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in India, Shakib will be raring to go and help Bangladesh grab some crucial ICC Super League points against Sri Lanka.
Tamim Iqbal is Bangladesh’s top-run getter after six matches in the ICC Super League so far. Tamim is aggregating 250 runs at an average of 41.66 with a strike-rate of 70.02, including three half-centuries. In recent times, the newly-appointed Bangladesh ODI skipper has looked to cut down risks and bat deeper into the innings. Bangladesh will require Tamim’s consistency and stability if they are to challenge and defeat Sri Lanka.
Mushfiqur Rahim is another one of Bangladesh’s most crucial cog and their strongest pillars. Bangladesh depends heavily on Mushfiqur shouldering the middle-order responsibility for them, and the series against Sri Lanka is not expected to be any different on that front. The right-hand batsman has now piled on 6,344 runs from 224 ODI matches in his career at an average of 36.25 and strike-rate of 78.74. His career tally includes 7 hundreds and 39 half-centuries.
Prediction
Historically, Sri Lanka have enjoyed a wood over Bangladesh when it comes to the 50-over cricket, be it in bilateral assignments or major world events. However, that has changed in recent years, with Bangladesh making genuine improvement as an international side and their Asian rivals going on the wane.
Since the end of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Sri Lanka have won just 33 and lost 64 of their 103 ODI games. The record for Bangladesh is much better: they’ve won 43, lost 36 of their 82 ODI games since then.
Besides feeling inspired by their much better record, Bangladesh will also take confidence from the fact that they are playing in home conditions. They are thus expected to hold the upper hand against the Lankans.
