🏏ICC T20I Men's W C 2024: Match 15: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Dallas🏏

🏏ICC T20I Men's W C 2024: Match 15: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Dallas🏏

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One quick glance at Group D ahead of the World Cup would have told you how South Africa were overwhelming favourites to go through to the Super 8s.

They did live up to that billing in their first match when they hammered a former champion in Sri Lanka. The island nation were bowled out for just 77 on a treacherous pitch.

That total without a doubt has caused a huge dent in their net run rate.

Now, Sri Lanka cannot afford to slip again. This group has Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal. While Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were expected to fight it out for the second Super 8 spot from this group, Netherlands and Nepal are no pushovers.

Even for a team that has a rich history of thrashing lower-ranked teams, nothing is guaranteed in this format and on the world stage as USA demonstrated yesterday.

Sri Lanka's challenge will also be against a familiar rival, who have been observing the patterns of the World Cup so far. Bangladesh are yet to play a game.

This is a team that's been trying to make a mark in T20 cricket for a while now, having made giant strides in ODIs over the last decade. To begin a campaign against a batting lineup that's wounded is probably not a bad thing for Bangladesh.

Given their own batters lack confidence, they would hope to be welcomed by a challenging surface. Bangladesh are coming into this game on the back of that series loss against the United States that made headlines.

But given what the USA produced against Pakistan, maybe it is time to cut Bangladesh some slack.

When: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 12:30 AM GMT (June 8), 7:30 PM local time, 6:00 AM IST (June 8)

Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas

What to expect: There have been three games at this venue so far. All three provided varied results. There was a high-scoring game, a low-scoring one and the one last night saw both teams finish close to a par 160.

Grand Prairie Stadium Dallas Pitch Report

The surface at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas will offer some seam movement to the pacers early on with the new ball.

The Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas boasts a sporting wicket with a consistent pace and a hint of extra bounce. The spinners will also find some turn, potentially playing a pivotal role in the middle overs.

Overall, it has been a good pitch, with something on it for everyone. So, expect a cracking battle between the Asian rivals, with the toss-winner likely to field first.

Team Watch

Sri Lanka

Even though Sri Lanka wouldn't want to make radical changes, bringing in Dhananjaya de Silva in place of Kamindu Mendis to lend some stability wouldn't be a bad idea.

Tactics & Matchups: Sri Lanka would ideally want Charith Asalanka to be batting at the death given his excellent record against Mustafizur Rahman. He strikes at 172 against the left-arm seamer and has never been dismissed by him.

Probable XI: Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara

Bangladesh

There have been question marks over Litton Das' form heading into the tournament. But Bangladesh might still look to give him an extended run. Shoriful Islam's fitness remains a huge concern as he races against time to play this fixture.

Tactics & Matchups: Where can Litton Das bat, especially after the century stand between Tanzid and Soumya in the final T20I against the USA? Angelo Mathews bowled with the new ball for Sri Lanka the other day against South Africa and he has an excellent record against Litton in this format.

Probable XI: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das (wk), Najmul Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Shakib, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman

Did you know?

- Sri Lanka have lost four out of their last five matches in the T20 World Cup.

- Shakib Al Hasan is four away from becoming the second bowler to take 150 wickets in men's T20Is after New Zealand's Tim Southee, who has 157.

Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, has a robust squad that could challenge the Lankan Lions in this fixture.

While the eyes will be on Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, the likes of Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed will be key to the Tigers' success.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka would be desperate to get off the mark in the points table, overcoming their horrendous defeat against South Africa in the previous game.

So, as both teams gear up for an exciting contest, let's see how the surface at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas is expected to behave throughout the contest.

Last year, a significant controversy arose during the ODI World Cup when Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh appealed for a timed-out dismissal against Angelo Mathews. Mathews took longer than usual to face his first ball after arriving at the crease.

Despite the cricket world's surprise, the umpire ruled Mathews out according to ICC rules, and Bangladesh won the match by three wickets. This incident sparked a debate on the 'Spirit of Cricket'.

Sri Lanka lost their first match against South Africa by six wickets in New York. This upcoming match will be Bangladesh's first in the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup 2024.

What they said:

"We watched a lot of matches on television and from the morning we watched the match here. So, I think it will be better than the wicket we had in New York. But we mostly get used pitches, and there will be a challenge tomorrow. We have already discussed it, and we are well prepared for it." - Sri Lanka's batting coach Thilina Kandamby on the surface

Both teams have the same problem but in different manners. Bangladesh’s batting lineup crumbles because of the failure of the top order. It has been misfiring miserably this year.

Their opening pair went past 30 only 4 times this year and it was undone 4 times in less than 10 runs. The performances of Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, and Nazmul Hossain Shanto are not up to the mark. Tanzid Tamim has been a breath of fresh air scoring 3 half-centuries in his first 7 games.

Still, there is a lot to correct in this batting line-up. However, their middle order has been clicking so far. Four of their top five run-scorers this year have been batting in the middle order.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is in the opposite situation. While their top-order is firing well, it is their middle-order who are not putting up performances.

Their lack of batting depth is causing big problems for them. Even in the game against South Africa, they were at 31/2 from where they lost 8 wickets for a meager 46 runs.

Another sign of hope for the Sri Lankans is the head-to-head records. They usually have the upper hand over Bangladesh. Sri Lanka won the last 4 out of 5 games against Bangladesh.

Adding to that, they won the latest series against Tigers this year in Bangladesh. The Sri Lanka team are yet to be beaten by Bangladesh in a T20 World Cup match so far.

Key Players to Watch in Bangladesh Team

Tanzid Hasan

As mentioned before, Tanzid Hasan has been in the new era of Bangladesh's top-order since his debut. He scored 237 runs in his 7 games averaging 47. If Bangladesh want to put up a big total, Tanzid has to perform one of his best games so far to contribute largely to the team Tiger’s victory.

Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman is always a key bowler for Bangladesh in T20Is. With the probable absence of Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur is supposed to lead the team’s bowling attack. He has a good T20I bowling record against Sri Lanka with 14 wickets in 12 innings striking at 18.85. Without a doubt, he needs to be at his best in this game.

Towhid Hridoy

Towhid Hridoy is the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh this year in T20Is with 263 runs and a couple of half-centuries. He also scored 36.86 runs on average this year. Bangladesh needs him to go big in this game to have a solid winning chance.