Asian rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is heating up. Amid the building tensions, the two sides are set to clash again. When Bangladesh hosts the visitors for the second game of the three-match ODI series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today (Friday), they will be eager to wrap off the series. The match is scheduled to start at at 2:30 PM.
After winning the opening game by six wickets, Bangladesh now lead the series 1-0. A victory in the second match will confirm their second consecutive ODI series victory against the Lankans at home, having earlier won the last series between the two sides by 2-1 in 2021. While the hosts sealed a comprehensive victory in the series opener, Sri Lanka are expected to bounce back aggressively.
Despite Bangladesh losing three wickets for 23 runs in the sixth over of the opening game, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto led the team from the front with an undefeated 122, which guided the team to a convincing victory.
After a run-a-ball-37 from veteran Mahmudullah Riyad, seasoned campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim added 73 not out to match Shanto's career-best innings, which was his third century in One-Day International cricket.
"We knew that with the new ball it's quite hard so I just banked on my skill and took a little bit of time. Later on the wicket was very easy because of the dew," Shanto said after the first match.
"Mahmudullah started his innings it helped me a lot, after that Mushfiqur showed his experience- we all know how capable he is. I hope he will continue his form."
The victory was also Tigers’ second in a row against the Lankans and fourth in the last seven matches. The previous victory came in the World Cup match, which is infamous for its 'timed out' episode.
Sri Lanka rejoiced in the time-out celebrations after clinching the T20 series last week. However, the visitors' inadequacies in the 50-over format were duly exposed in the first ODI on Wednesday. Therefore, to stay alive in the series, Sri Lanka should rather focus on their shortcomings then rejoicing premature celebrations.
Irrespective of the winning momentum, the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is equally poised. Sri Lanka won’t go down without a fight. However, if the hosts can keep their calm and do what they do best, then they are likely to cap off this series in today’s (Friday) match.