After a seven-wicket loss in the first T20, Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka today in the second match of the series. The match will begin at 7:30 PM in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka already leads the three-match series 1-0. For Bangladesh, there is no alternative but to win today’s match—if Liton Kumar Das’s team loses again, they will lose the series with one match still to go.
Previously, Bangladesh lost both the Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka. If they fail to win the T20 series as well, the Tigers will return home empty-handed.
In the first T20, Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan Tamim gave Bangladesh a brilliant start. However, Liton, Towhid Hridoy, and others lost their rhythm shortly after.
As a result, the red-and-green team couldn’t post a big total. Today, the batters will carry the responsibility of keeping the series hopes alive. Bangladesh is currently on the back foot — winning this match is a must to stay in the series.
This is Bangladesh’s first full tour of Sri Lanka since 2017. During this one-month tour, players have also been allowed to stay with their families, so mental pressure or homesickness can’t be used as excuses. Yet, their lackluster performance on the field is evident. Despite the change in format, Bangladesh’s performance graph remains unchanged. After losing the Test and ODI series, fans now fear whether the T20 series will slip away too.
Ahead of the second T20, Sri Lanka’s fielding coach Upul Chandana made his team’s intentions clear in a press conference. He said they are aiming for an even better performance than in the first match. Chandana also expressed optimism about the Dambulla pitch, expecting it to be as good as the one in Pallekele.
Sri Lanka is confident, while Bangladesh is under pressure — this is the equation both teams will carry into today’s match. Meanwhile, the pressure on the field has spilled into the Tigers’ dressing room. How well things will normalize depends on Liton and his team.
