Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in the final match of the series to avoid a whitewash. The hosts won the first two games to take a 2-0 unassailable lead in the ODI series.
Match Timings: May 28, 12:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will wrap up the ODI series on Friday with the final game in Dhaka. Bangladesh has been a top-class unit by winning the first two games with ease. Things are getting tougher for Sri Lanka and they are on the verge of losing one more series. Sri Lanka started things very well by picking the first two wickets early but one more time the duo Rahim and Mahmudullah added 87 runs for the 5th wicket. Rahim scored his 8th ODI century and Hosts posted 246. Sri Lanka couldn’t stand against this total and scored 141 when the result was decided on the D/L method.
Bangladesh won their 10th bilateral ODI series out of 11 at home since the 2015 WC. They have now topped the table of the CWC Super League with five consecutive wins. They can add one more whitewash of the season. Hosts have some issues in their top-order and in both games, Rahim rescued them along with Mahmudullah. The picture was different if we would haven’t seen this duo performing in middle-order. Bowling has been great for Bangladesh and it was a positive part. Tamim would look to give some chance to other players in the final ODI.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s problems are not stopping as they can get the second whitewash of the CWC Super League and they have lost five straight ODI games this year. Sri Lanka are now sitting at the bottom of the Super League with -2 points, behind Zimbabwe and Ireland. It’s a disappointing tale for the Lankan side. They were recently thrashed by West Indies 3-0 and now they lost the first two games. Sri Lanka will play against India in the next ODI series and it will be another tough task for them. Sri Lanka changed their skipper but couldn’t change the fate. Batting has been disappointing for them in both ODIs. In the first game, Hasaranga fought for the visitors and in the second game, they delivered a big failure. Sri Lanka cannot afford a loss here because it will haunt them for the qualification of the ODI World Cup 2023.
Pitch Report
After back-to-back games at the same surface, Dhaka’s track is a tough pitch to bat and it requires a sensible approach. The new ball will be crucial and spinners can take advantage later the match progresses. Batting first would be an ideal call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal (c), Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
Sri Lanka
Kusal Perera (c & wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Ashen Bandara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera
Key Players
Bangladesh
M Rahim
A hundred and a half-century in the series
Mehidy Hasan
3-wicket haul in last game, become 2nd ranked ODI bowler in rankings
Sri Lanka
Wanindu Hasaranga
Only performer for SL in ODIs this year, scored 74 in first game
Danushka Gunathilaka
Top-scorer in WI series, a quality player at the top
