Sri Lanka face Bangladesh with berth in final at stake

Overview

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
6th T20I
Friday 16 March; 19:00pm local time, 13:30pm GMT

The equation is simple: The winners go through to the final of the Nidahas Trophy, where India are waiting. The losers are out. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh know there’s no room for slip-ups when they take each other on in the final round-robin game of the Twenty20 International tri-series in Colombo on Friday.

Not that either side did too much wrong in getting into such a tricky situation, it’s the nature of a short and quick tournament. At the halfway point of the series, all teams had a win apiece, and anything was possible. Since then, however, India have powered on, beating Sri Lanka by six wickets, and following that up with a 17-run triumph over Bangladesh to go clear of the opponents.

Their bowlers didn’t fare too well earlier – Rubel Hossain’s 2/27 apart, none of the others were among the wickets – and Bangladesh will hope to put behind a bad day in the office. To that end, they have been boosted by the return of Shakib Al Hasan. The all-rounder had injured his finger in January, but has recovered sufficiently and will link up with the rest of the squad in Colombo on Thursday.

As for Sri Lanka, they have been outstanding when on song. Admittedly, India did peg them back in their last outing, restricting them to 152/9 before chasing it down in 17.3 overs. However, they have a few players in form who could trouble Bangladesh, the Kusals – Mendis and Perera – foremost among them.

Kusal Mendis has scored half-centuries in his last two matches for Sri Lanka

In the previous clash between these sides last week, Mendis and Perera both scored half-centuries and put on an 85-run stand, helping Sri Lanka to 214/6. Bangladesh survived that chase in a thriller, with Iqbal and Liton Das playing strong hands to go with Rahim’s 35-ball 72*. They might have to do it all over again, but Sri Lanka, without the suspended Dinesh Chandimal again, will be driven – it is, after all, a celebration of 70 years of their independence and making the final will make everyone at home happy.

This clash might, therefore, largely depend on whether, and to what degree, the in-form players in each side come good.

Key players

Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka): While both Mendis and Perera have been in rich form, the former is perhaps more of a danger. His strike rate after three games stand at 166.21 to Perera’s 160.67, and he has scored consecutive half-centuries in his last two outings. If Bangladesh nip him out early, Sri Lanka might find themselves under pressure.

The in-form Mushfiqur Rahim is expected to play a big role in the crunch clash

Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh): Rahim has been in impeccable form for Bangladesh, scoring unbeaten 72s in his last two outings. It’s propelled him to second on the run-charts, behind Shikhar Dhawan. He took the game away from Sri Lanka in their previous clash, and the home side will be conscious of that.

Conditions
The weather has largely been cricket-friendly in Colombo over the course of the tournament, with almost all matches being played in full. That said, rain affected the clash between India and Sri Lanka on Monday, and more of it is forecast for Friday. The match might be interrupted at some stage, and it might even make things favourable for the pacemen.

Squads
Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Amila Aponso, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Dananjaya de Silva

Bangladesh: Mahmudullah (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Hider, Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Islam, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan