Tigers Determined To Winning Start In T20 Series Against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh are determined to making a winning start to continue their success in the shortest format of the cricket when they take on Sri Lanka in the three-match T20 series opener at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium tomorrow (Monday). The match starts at 6 PM.

The T20 series against Sri Lanka is Bangladesh's first International assignment in this year.

The Tigers of late had enjoyed success in this format, proving that they are no longer easy prey. Since 2022, they haven't lost any bilateral series and in this period they won four series against UAE, England, Ireland, and Afghanistan. Their upsurge in this format was further evidenced in drawing an away series against New Zealand at the fag end of the last year. In this period they however failed to get expected success in the multinational tournament.

Bangladesh had so far played 158 T20 Internationals, winning 59 and losing 95 while four matches fetched no result.

Against Sri Lanka, they played 13 matches and won four while losing nine matches. The series is the chance to improve their T20 record against the Lankan.

Obviously, the series will bring back the memory of Timed Out dismissal. In a crucial World Cup match last year, when Angelo Mathews took more time then the scheduled, the then Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan inflicted the Timed out, which was the first instant of this type of out in International cricket. The relationship between the two sides further took a nosedive after this incident.

In fact, the relation between the two sides however hasn't been cordial since the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2018 when several times the players of the two teams engaged in verbal spat. Bangladesh broke out Nagin dance after a tensed victory that sealed the Nidahas Trophy final to further make the Lankans angry.

All those things reached crescendo when the two sides meet in any format of the cricket.

But Shakib who inflicted the Timed Out is no longer the captain of Bangladesh and even he is not in the squad due to the vision problem. Angelo Mathews however is in the team.

However Sri Lanka will be without their T20 captain Wanindu Hasaranga in the first two matches as he was banned for two matches. Charith Asalanka the designated vice-captain, will be leading Sri Lanka for the first time but for first two matches.

Hasaranga, who was suspended for two T20Is by the ICC following his run-in with umpire Lyndon Hannibal in the third T20I against Afghanistan on February 21, will be returning as captain for the final T20I on March 9.

Sri Lanka have brought in opening batter Avishka Fernando in place of Pathum Nissanka, who is recovering from the injury he sustained during the series against Afghanistan recently. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who last played a T20I in February 2022, has been recalled too.

Kusal Perara, one of the inform batters of Sri Lanka was also sidelined due to injury and he was replaced by Nirosan Dickwella.

Bangladesh had to make a forced change after off-spinner Aliss Al Isalm, who was called in the national team for the time, got injured. He was replaced by wicket-keeper batter Jakir Ali Anik.

T20 Squad

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Liton Das, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Naim Sheikh, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Jakir Ali Anik.

Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga (capt for last game), Charith Asalanka (capt for first two games), Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay