Bangladesh eye rare away glory in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 28 March 2017 00:01 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Sri Lankan chief cricket selector Sanath Jayasuriya (2L), Sri Lanka's captain Upul Tharanga (R), cricket manager Asanka Gurusinghe (L) and selector Romesh Kaluwitharana (2R) speak during a practice session at The Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla on March 27, 2017, ahead of the second one day international between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - AFP DFT-24-40

Bangladesh cricketer Soumya Sarkar (2R) shares a light moment with teammates during a practice session at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla on 27 March 2017

 

AFP: Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said Monday he’s confident his side can secure a rare series win away from home when they face Sri Lanka in the second One Day International this week.

The tourists lead 1-0 going into Tuesday’s contest at Dambulla and know that victory would secure their third ever series win away from Bangladeshi soil.

Bangladesh dominated Sri Lanka with bat and ball during the opening game Saturday of the three-match series to clinch a crushing 90-run win against their more illustrious opponents.

A win on Tuesday would see them take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

“I am fully confident we will play our best. It will give us a good chance (of victory),” said Mortaza.

“They will try very hard too since they are 1-0 behind. They will try to push us from the start. They know how to play aggressive cricket. We have to execute our plans properly and start anew,” he added.

Bangladesh have only ever beaten fellow-strugglers Zimbabwe and an under strength West Indies team in an away series.

But at home they have enjoyed a fine run of form lately, winning five consecutive series in the past two years before narrowly losing to England in October.

They failed to win a single match in their most recent away series in New Zealand however, although Mortaza said his teammates had learnt from the disappointment.

“New Zealand was difficult for us but that experience will work for us here,” he said.

Sri Lanka, who are staring at a fifth consecutive ODI series loss against a Test nation, added fast bowlers Nuwan Kulasekera and Nuwan Pradeep to their squad due to fitness concerns over Suranga Lakmal. Team manager Asanka Gurusinha said Lakmal was likely to play though and warned Bangladesh that his side were hurting from the humiliation of Saturday’s defeat.

“(The) team is really pumped up after losing the first game. We know the pressure is on us because we don’t have any more chances,” he said.

“It’s like a main final for us. We are pretty confident that we can play much better than we did,” Gurusinha added. 


 

Dickwella out of series with hairline fracture

ESPNcricinfo: Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against Bangladesh after suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand.DFT-24-37 DFT-24-38

Dickwella had sustained the injury on Sunday, at training. Though it was originally thought to be a minor injury, he had had trouble gripping his bat on Monday. Subsequent X-rays then confirmed the fracture.

Team manager Asanka Gurusinha said that while the injury was “minor” it may take “a couple of weeks” to fully heal, which also puts Dickwella in doubt for the T20 internationals that follow the ODIs. Dickwella had also been unavailable for the first ODI of the series, thanks to the suspension he picked up for dissent, during the T20 series in Australia.

Though it is a batsman that exits the squad, Sri Lanka have called up offspinner Dilruwan Perera, and strengthened the seam battery through the inclusion of Nuwan Kulasekara and Nuwan Pradeep as well. Those changes are likely a reflection of the outcome of Saturday’s match, in which Sri Lanka’s attack was ineffective - especially at the death overs - as Bangladesh scored 324 in their 90-run win.

Kulasekara had played in Sri Lanka’s 0-5 ODI defeat in South Africa in January and February, but had had mixed results in that series. He has 195 ODI wickets, however, and will be the most experienced bowler in the squad by a distance.

 

 

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