Sports Reporter :
Bangladesh Cricket team will take on Sri Lanka today in their first Group-D match of the ICC T20 World Cup (WC) at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas of the United States of America.
The match will start at 6:30am (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Private satellite channel Nagorik TV will telecast the match live.
Before today’s match, the Tigers and the Islanders faced each other in 16 Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.
Of them, Bangladesh won in the five occasions, while Sri Lanka registered 11 victories.
Bangladesh earned a 4-1 victory against Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series at home recently.
Then, the Tigers lost to the promising USA 2-1 in the three-match T20I series at the USA recently.
The first warm-up match between Bangladesh and USA at Dallas on May 28 was not held due to bad weather.
Later, Bangladesh faced India in their second warm-up match in New York on June 1.
Bangladesh tasted a 60-run defeat to India in that match.
Captain of Bangladesh Cricket team Najmul Hossain Shanto said, ” The top-order batters of our team could not perform up to the mark recently.
But tomorrow will be a new day.
Our batters took part in a full-fledged practice session and gave their cent percent.
They came out from their weakness in the practice.
I think the batters are now in a good shape.”
Shanto said, ” Our batters took preparation well in the net session.
I expect that they will perform a good batting tomorrow as they practised their batting today.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are now in a bad position as they were bundled out for 77 against South Africa in their opening Group-D match and tasted a six-wicket defeat on June 3.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Netherlands and Nepal are in Group-D, which is called ‘Death Group’.
If Bangladesh want to enter the ‘Super Eight’ phase, Bangladesh have to beat either Sri Lanka or South Africa.
Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed will play today’s match and it will give the Tigers inspiration.
Taskin could not play against the USA in the three-match T20I series due to injury. He also missed the warm-up matches.
On the other hand, left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam has been ruled out due to injury.
He got injury on his left hand when he was playing against India in their warm-up match.
However, the other players of Bangladesh squad are totally okay and they are prepared to face Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh Cricket squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed (Vice-Captain), Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Tanvir Islam.
Sri Lanka Cricket squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (Captain), Charith Asalanka (Vice-Captain), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dilshan Madushanka.