Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in their first game in the Asia Cup on Thursday at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy.
The match kicks off at 3:30 pm Bangladesh time and will be aired on T Sports and Gazi Television.
Young talented batter Tanzid Hasan made his debut being included in the playing XI for Bangladesh. He will open the innings with another youngster Mohammad Naim due to the absence of Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, the two experienced batter of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana.
What captains say during the toss..
Shakib Al Hasan: We will bat first. It looks to me a dry wicket. Hopefully, we can put the runs on the board. We know Sri Lanka are a very good team, we have to be at our best in batting, bowling and fielding. We have got three seamers and three spinners in our squad.
Dasun Shanaka: We would have liked to bat first as well but it is a good toss to lose with rain around. Generally, I expect some turn here because there’s a bit of tear in these wickets. I am very much excited. We have six batters, two all-rounders and three genuine bowlers. Matheesha Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage are playing.
The rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has intensified during
recent years and it has been exhilarating to witness the hunger and
passion among their players. These two sides are set to get things
underway in Group B of Asia Cup in Pallekele in a while.
Bangladesh
have been very much impressive in ODI cricket lately and they can
certainly pose a threat to any side. Although they are also having some
injury concerns but they have a well-rounded squad at their disposal.
The fact that they won their maiden bilateral ODI series against Sri
Lanka last time around will boost their confidence
Sri Lanka are
going in with a depleted bowling attack as they are missing a few of
their first-choice seamers and their star legspinner, Wanindu Hasaranga,
due to injuries. Those are big shoes to fill in and a lot of onus will
be on their batters to come to the fore in this tournament. Let’s not
forget that Sri Lanka are the defending Asia Cup champions and they also
coasted through the recent World Cup Qualifiers.
EM
