Bangladesh and Sri Lanka began their respective Asia Cup campaign by facing each other in Match No.2 of Group B on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. The Bangla Tigers and the Lankan Lions will then square off against Afghanistan on September 3 and September 5, respectively, in Lahore.
The runners-up of the last 50-over Asia Cup tournament which was held in the year 2018, Bangladesh suffered another setback before the start of the ongoing competition. Shakib Al Hasan’s side who were already without Tamim Iqbal has now lost Litton Das due to viral fever. The 30-year-old, Anamul Haque, is all set to replace the wicketkeeper batter in the squad for the entire series.
On the other hand, Dasun Shanaka’s team is already without a few players who are all ruled out due to injuries. The list includes the seamers viz- Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, and the star all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. Sri Lanka, who won the previous Asia Cup (T20 format) in 2022, will look to start the campaign on a high while the Tigers will also be looking for the same having never managed to lift the elusive title.
Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers ahead of Match No.2 between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Group B in Asia Cup 2023:
Head-to-Head: Both sides have met each other 51 times in the ODI format and it’s been completely dominated by Sri Lanka as they have emerged victorious on 40 occasions. Bangladesh has won nine times while the remaining two games ended in no result.
4 – Shakib Al Hasan (46) needs four sixes to complete 50 maximums in ODIs.
2 – Mustafizur Rahman (148) needs two scalps to reach 150 wickets in ODIs.
55 – Kusal Mendis (2945) requires 55 runs to reach the landmark of 3000 runs in ODI cricket.
6 – Mendis (294) needs six fours to complete 300 fours in the ODI format.
92 – Kusal Perera (5908) is 92 runs away from reaching 6000 runs in international cricket.
3 – Perera (47) is three grabs away from completing 50 catches in ODIs.
5 – Sadeera Samarawickrama (45) requires five fours to get to 50 fours in ODI cricket.