Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur

Must-win encounter for upbeat hosts

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya

March 19, 2012

Match facts

March 20, 2012
Start time 1400 (0800 GMT)

Big Picture

Sri Lanka have been knocked out of the Asia Cup. But they can still spoil Bangladesh or India's chances of qualifying for the final. Earlier this month, they knocked India out of the CB series after beating Australia in the tournament's final league game. They can ensure India go through this time by winning against Bangladesh, or inflict a second-straight knock-out, undermine another sterling Virat Kohli ton and another run-chase of 320-plus, by losing.

A Sri Lanka win will end Bangladesh's Asia Cup, one the hosts spiced up through their thrilling chase against India that kept their qualification hopes alive and prevented Sunday's India-Pakistan encounter from becoming a mere dress rehearsal for the final. They fought hard against Pakistan, won memorably against India by embarrassing a weak bowling attack and can't be written off against a Sri Lanka team yet to recover from sizable defeats. Bangladesh will go through if they win; even if they tie with India on points, they're through by virtue of having beaten them earlier.

For Sri Lanka, a team that beat South Africa at home twice in the ODI series in January and won against Australia four times in the CB series, failing to make it to the final of a tournament they've traditionally done well in represents a setback. Sri Lanka will be desperate to salvage some pride, Bangladesh to display some consistency in winning against superior teams, not merely challenging them.

In 29 tournaments of three teams or more that Bangladesh have participated in, they've only made it to the final once - the tri-series final at home where Sri Lanka took the title in a close finish. A win tomorrow will mark their most impressive performance in a multi-team tournament, and what better place to deliver that than at home in front of a packed house, also the venue for the final.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WLLLL (most recent first)

Sri Lanka: LLLWL

In the spotlight

Nasir Hossain: Only 20, he has been the find of the season for Bangladesh. Spunky in the middle order, more than handy as an offspinner and a livewire in the field, Nasir has infused this Bangladesh team with plenty of life and enthusiasm. He helped give Bangladesh a realistic chance of beating Pakistan and stayed through to almost the end against India, both those innings part of a consistent run in ODIs. Sri Lanka will have their first taste of Hossain on Tuesday.

Dinesh Chandimal: He looks good to take over from Kumar Sangakkara as Sri Lanka's next long-term wicketkeeper-batsman - he's already done that in Tests. Along with Lahiru Thirimanne, he is Sri Lanka's next big batting hope. His last three outings haven't been good, however, with scores of 5, 13 and 0, all in losing causes. Bangladesh present an opportunity for a recovery.

Team news

Bangladesh will be without their seamer Shafiul Islam, who is out for 10 days with a shoulder injury. They have drafted in seamer Abul Hasan in the squad. Whether or not he'll play in the XI, as Shafiul had done, remains to be seen. They have another medium-fast option in Nazmul Hossain.

Bangladesh XI (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Nazimuddin, 3 Jahurul Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Nazmul Hossain, 11 Shahadat Hossain.

Will Lasith Malinga play? Or will Sri Lanka give another bowler a go? They'll be eager to win and won't be taking Bangladesh lightly. It is likely they will go in with their best XI.

Sri Lanka XI (possible): 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Upul Tharanga, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Lasith Malinga/Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga Lakmal.

Stats and trivia

The teams have played each other on 29 occasions in ODIs, Bangladesh winning twice. Their first win came in February 2006 and the latest in January 2009.

Shakib Al Hasan has won the most Man-of-the-Match awards for Bangladesh in ODIs, on 12 occasions out of 124. Khaled Mashud, the former Bangladesh wicketkeeper, didn't win the award in 126 matches and former captain Habibul Bashar 111. They are ranked No. 2 and 4 in the all-time list of players who've played the most matches but not won a single Man-of-the-Match award.

Quotes

"It's another international game for us so we are not thinking too far ahead. It has been a disappointing series so hopefully we'll finish off with a win."

Mahela Jayawardene does not want to leave Bangladesh winless

"This is a must-win game for us so we are taking it as a positive sign. Our confidence is high after the win against India."

Mashrafe Mortaza is glad Bangladesh are in a situation where they can control their own fate

Edited by Nikita Bastian

Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Siddhartha Talya

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Sri Lanka 188 All Out, Pakistan Need 189 Runs To Win

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur

Pakistan seamers dent top order

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran

March 15, 2012

Sri Lanka 188/10 (45.4 over) 

Dodgy shot selection was the main cause for Sri Lanka conceding the third CB Series final and their opening match of the Asia Cup. Against a new opponent today, their familiar problems persisted, in their quest for quick runs after winning the toss in a pressure match. At least three of the four wickets fell to poor shots, raising questions of their approach.

Mahela Jayawardene chided himself for throwing his wicket away against India the other night while the going was good. With Aizaz Cheema getting a hammering from Tillakaratne Dilshan at the other end, Jayawardene tried to match his partner's crunching drives past the fielders on the off side, but perished scooping a drive to Mohammad Hafeez at extra cover.

Dilshan was harsh against the nippy pace of Cheema, thrashing any width outside the off stump with his tremendous bat speed and follow through. Misbah-ul-Haq was forced to make field changes, pushing point back and the next ball reinstating the fielder to his original position and pushing square leg back. It was a gamble which didn't backfire on the Pakistan captain. Cheema worked to a plan, cranking up his pace and shortening the length, forcing a circumspect Dilshan to withdraw an attempted pull and then weave away from one that fizzed past his helmet.

Cheema, who had earlier leaked 17 off his opening over, ensured he cut out the width to Dilshan. The batsman tried to launch him over the on side but instead produced a tame top edge to mid-on. Dinesh Chandimal, in the middle of a sudden slump, dabbed an Umar Gul delivery to Younis Khan, who judged the catch well at first slip.

Lahiru Thirimanne couldn't resist playing at a wide delivery from Hammad Azam, driving to Umar Akmal at backward point. Two of Sri Lanka's finds in Australia - Thirimanne and Chandimal - literally played into Pakistan's hands. It was left to the more experienced pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga to consolidate.

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Kanishkaa Balachandran

Sachin Tendulkar at India's training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

Sachin Tendulkar at India's training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

©Associated Press

Sachin Tendulkar at India's training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

©Associated Press

Virat Kohli at a training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

Virat Kohli at a training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

©Associated Press

Virat Kohli at a training session, Mirpur, March 11, 2012 ©Associated Press

Gautam Gambhir bats in the nets

Gautam Gambhir bats in the nets, Mirpur, March 11, 2012

©Associated Press

Gautam Gambhir bats in the nets, Mirpur, March 11, 2012 ©Associated Press

Mahela Jayawardene takes questions from the media

Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene takes questions from the media, Mirpur, March 10, 2012

© AFP

Mahela Jayawardene takes questions from the media, Mirpur, March 10, 2012 © AFP

Srilanka Cricket News, Mahela Jayawardene, Mirpur, Cricket Srilanka, 2012

Bangladesh v Pakistan, Asia Cup, Mirpur

Pakistan look to erase UAE drubbing

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran

March 10, 2012

Match facts

March 11, 2012
Start time 1400 (0800 GMT)

Big Picture

Bangladesh's and Pakistan's last meeting seems like it happened yesterday. Not too long ago, Pakistan toured the country, winning all games quite comfortably, before heading to the UAE. There's a chance they could face each other again shortly for another series of limited-overs games, in Pakistan, if the tour gets a go-ahead. Their meeting tomorrow is not a bilateral event, but a tournament which has been shoe-horned into an already cramped calendar. Seven games have been crammed into 12 days, with each team meeting the other once before the top two make the final. The flip side to such a format is that a poor start, or a surprise defeat could jeopardise a team's chances of qualifying.

The head-to-head record suggests that Pakistan are overwhelming favourites. That's what many would have predicted after they steamrolled England, the top Test side, 3-0 in the UAE. Yet, their 0-4 crash to the same team in the one-dayers confounded many, coming against a side which has traditionally under-performed in the shorter format.

Nevertheless, it was a wake-up call for Misbah-ul-Haq and the rest who took their foot off the pedal after the Test series. Perhaps they were homesick, or plain tired. In that sense, this Asia Cup assumes more context for Pakistan, who would want to sign off their season on a high, synonymous with their performance over the last year-and-a-half.

The Bangladesh players have been a busy bunch themselves. In a sense, the Asia Cup has been positioned aptly for the Bangladesh audience, who are just coming off the hangover of the Bangladesh Premier League. Whether the BPL will have a positive impact on Bangladesh's stature as an international team or not is a discussion for another day.

The tournament has given local players a chance to mingle with internationals. Despite that, the performances of some of the local players were underwhelming. There was also some off-field drama, with Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, calling the BPL a "disorganised" tournament. Despite some of the farcical behind-the-scenes action causing the organisers a lot of embarrassment, the Bangladesh fans appear to be in a feel-good wave and their enthusiasm will be crucial even in matches not involving their team.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLWL

Pakistan LLLLW

In the spotlight

Mashrafe Mortaza has made several comebacks from injury. Tomorrow, he opens yet another chapter. A knee injury sidelined him from the 2011 World Cup. He returned for the Australia ODIs shortly after but hasn't played an international match since. He captained the Dhaka Gladiators to the BPL title, taking 10 wickets with a strike every 24 balls. His presence adds experience to the seam attack.

One of Pakistan's most consistent batsmen in the last year, Mohammad Hafeez, has suddenly slipped. In the ODI series against England, Hafeez managed just 61 from four games. Pakistan will need him to play a steady hand at the top of the order.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Shere Bangla Stadium has a bit of grass, a deviation from the normally slow surfaces which have prompted captains to bring their spinners on from the second over.

Teams

All Bangladesh players are available for selection, but if the pitch continues to have that layer of grass, then the teams might be tempted to field an extra quick bowler. Bangladesh have recalled the batsman Jahurul Islam so there's a chance for him to stake a claim in the middle order.

Sarfraz Ahmed will make a comeback as Pakistan's wicketkeeper, after Adnan Akmal was left out.

Bangladesh (likely) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt and wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Jahurul Islam, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Elias Sunny, 11 Shafiul Islam

Pakistan (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Younis Khan 4 Umar Akmal 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema

Stats and trivia

Shahid Afridi is just one run away from 7000 ODI runs

Bangladesh's first-ever one-day international was at the Asia Cup in 1986, incidentally, against Pakistan

Bangladesh have previously hosted two editions of the Asia Cup, in 1988-89 and 2000

Quotes

"He's the main player with both ball and bat, so we are focussing on him, but it is a team of 11. Anybody can contribute, so also have to have to a plan against every player."

Misbah-ul-Haq knows Bangladesh rely heavily on Shakib Al Hasan

Edited by Abhishek Purohit

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Kanishkaa Balachandran

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Asia Cup, 2012, Fixtures, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Asia Cup, 2011/12 / Fixtures

Sun Mar 11          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 1st Match - Bangladesh v Pakistan
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Tue Mar 13          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 2nd Match - India v Sri Lanka
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Thu Mar 15          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 3rd Match - Pakistan v Sri Lanka
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Fri Mar 16          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 4th Match - Bangladesh v India
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Sun Mar 18          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 5th Match - India v Pakistan
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Tue Mar 20          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT 6th Match - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Thu Mar 22          
08:00 GMT | 14:00 local
13:00 PKT Final - TBC v TBC
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur