Bangladesh and Sri Lanka meet with contrasting goals to achieve in this series, but goals that, at some point, intersect with each other. It’s the start of a new period for Bangladesh, which not only has a new captain but also an entirely new leadership group, or what would one day become it. This will be their first one-day game without Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, which officially marks the end of the era of what was once called Ponchon Pandob, including, besides the pair, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, and Tamim Iqbal. With the next ODI tournament more than 18 months away, Bangladesh have plenty of time on hand to nurture a new side that can carry them forward for the years to come.
Sri Lanka have to find their ground in a similar way. They aren’t in transition, at least not as widespread as Bangladesh’s. The last ODI multi-nation tournament they played was the World Cup in 2023, and not the Champions Trophy this year, unlike most of the teams. They couldn’t qualify for the tournament, but since the World Cup, they have managed to hand ODI series defeats to teams like India, Australia, and New Zealand, albeit at home. Their form in away ODIs, however, remains relatively shoddy, and that’s what they will need to work on in the time they have before the next global event.
Team Overview:
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and not Najmul Hossain Shanto, will lead Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in Colombo for the first game. Bangladesh have made five changes to the squad that last played a one-day game during the Champions Trophy earlier this year. One of them is the inclusion of Litton Das after six months away from the side due to poor form. The visitors have also called up opening batter Mohammad Naim, middle-order batsman Shamim Hossain, uncapped left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, and pacer Hasan Mahmud for the white-ball tour.
Naim has earned a call-up after his brilliant performance during Bangladesh’s domestic List A competition, the Dhaka Premier League. He was the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer. They have a formidable pace attack with Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, and Hasan Mahmud.
Sri Lanka have a pretty solid top-to-middle order. The top five churn out runs on home soil for fun. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, no top five has scored more runs, at home or away, than Sri Lanka’s. This allows them to shorten the batting depth and bring in more bowling all-rounders and bowlers. Dunith Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga are likely to bridge the gap between specialist bowlers and the batting lineup. Barring these two decent bowling options, Sri Lanka also have the leverage to play three pacers to make life difficult for Bangladesh.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have played 57 matches against each other, with the latter winning 43 matches and losing 12. Two matches ended without any result.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Colombo has historically supported spinners. There haven’t been many day games played at this venue in recent times. Sri Lanka’s ODI game against Australia in February was the first in over a decade. However, with Sri Lanka’s new strategy to prepare away-standard pitches at home, the Khettarama surface might offer pacers something to work with. The weather is predicted to stay clear of any rain involvement.
Prediction:
Sri Lanka are one of the biggest home-track bullies out there, especially in the ODI format, and so Bangladesh potentially do not stand a chance against the Goliath they are.
Where to Watch:
Sri Lanka: Ten Cricket, Siyatha TV, Dialog TV, SLT IPTV
Bangladesh: Nagorik TV, Toffee, T Sports
Pakistan: Ten Sports, Tapmad
India: Fancode app, Sony LIV app, Sony Sports Network
South Africa: Supersport Cricket
UK: TNT Sports
Caribbean: Rush
