With the goal of starting the Asia Cup Super Four with a victory, Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka tonight.
The match will begin at 8:30 PM on Saturday at the Dubai Cricket Stadium.
Even after 2 wins and 1 loss in the group stage, Bangladesh’s place in the Super Four was not confirmed. Their hopes rested on the last Group ‘B’ match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The equation was simple—if Afghanistan lost, Bangladesh would qualify.
Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by 6 wickets in the final Group ‘B’ match, confirming Bangladesh’s Super Four spot.
With Afghanistan—last T20 World Cup semifinalist—knocked out, Bangladesh now has a chance to reach the final of the 17th Asia Cup and possibly win their maiden title.
To stay in the race for the final, a win in their first Super Four clash against Sri Lanka is crucial for Bangladesh, as the Tigers enter this stage with two points less.
Group stage points will carry over to the Super Four. In the last two months, Bangladesh have faced Sri Lanka four times, so the Tigers have a good understanding of the Lankan side.
Just two months ago, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 2–1 in a three-match series on Lankan soil. However, in this tournament’s group stage, Liton Das’s side lost to Sri Lanka by 6 wickets.
In T20Is so far, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have met 21 times—Bangladesh won 8, Sri Lanka 13.
In Asia Cup history, the two sides have met 18 times, with Sri Lanka winning 15 and Bangladesh only 3. But in the T20I edition of the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh faced each other 3 times—Sri Lanka won twice, Bangladesh once.
In the first T20 Asia Cup held in 2016, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 23 runs. In the 2022 edition, Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 2 wickets and eventually went on to become champions.
For today’s game, Bangladesh are thought to have a slight edge. Sri Lanka had to play two matches in less than 48 hours in scorching heat, and also had to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to face the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh enjoyed a 4-day rest after their match against Afghanistan in the group stage. Another factor is that Bangladesh will now play on Dubai’s wicket in the Super Four, whereas all their group stage matches were on Abu Dhabi’s slow pitch. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers adjust to Dubai’s sporting wicket.
However, given Bangladesh’s improved fight against Sri Lanka over the past 7 years, the Tigers also have a real chance of victory. For that, the top order must deliver with the bat, while middle-order players like Towhid Hridoy, Zakir Ali Anik, and Shamim Hossain need to take responsibility. With the ball, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Nasum Ahmed will need to show their magic.
Bangladesh’s probable XI:
Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hasan, Liton Das (captain, wicketkeeper), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Zakir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
