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Ban, SL brace for high-stakes Asia Cup clash
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will take on each other in Abu Dhabi on Saturday in what already feels like a knockout. With Afghanistan lurking in Group B of the ongoing Asia Cup, a defeat here means the loser is staring at a messy qualification route.
There is plenty of history between the two. Over the past decade, they’ve split their 16 T20Is, eight wins each.
Bangladesh have held the edge lately. They won a T20 World Cup game in Dallas last year and beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in Colombo in July. In both series, Bangladesh’s bowlers were on top early, grabbing wickets before the Lankan batting could breathe.
Bangladesh looked sharp in their opener against Hong Kong. The quicks set the tone, Rishad Hossain chipped in with his legspin, and Litton Das took charge of the chase with a fluent 59.
Rishad, in particular, has good memories against Sri Lanka. In July he went at just 5.4 an over across three matches, never letting batters line him up.
Litton will be the batter to watch again. He needs 56 more to become Bangladesh’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer. He already has 476 this year, striking at over 137. Towhid Hridoy is expected to play the anchor’s role once more.
Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib brushed aside talk of rivalry.
“We don’t think about that. The job is to win, no matter who we play,” Tanzim said on Friday.
Sri Lanka haven’t played yet in this tournament. Captain Charith Asalanka admitted that Bangladesh are ahead in terms of rhythm.
“They are playing good cricket, we lost to them at home. But we want to execute our basics properly,” he said.
The big news for Sri Lanka is Wanindu Hasaranga’s return. He missed the Zimbabwe series with a hamstring strain but is fit again. Asalanka called him “a superstar for us in white-ball cricket.”
His bowling and late hitting could tilt the balance. Pathum Nissanka’s form at the top is another card. He has 230 runs this year at a strike rate of 147. In Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka lost the only game where he didn’t cross 30.
Conditions in Abu Dhabi are expected to favor batters, though spinners may get some grip. Bangladesh are set to stick with the same XI from Thursday: three seamers and two spinners. Sri Lanka may bring in Chameera and Thushara, with Binura Fernando likely to get the nod over Pathirana.
The 'naagin' rivalry may have cooled, but the stakes are the same. Bangladesh come in with confidence and match practice. Sri Lanka bring back their match-winner in Hasaranga. By Saturday night, one will be a step closer to the Super Four. The other will be hanging by a thread, reports UNB.