Leaving the disappointment of the Test series behind, Bangladesh wants to start afresh when they take on Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series opening game at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo tomorrow (Wednesday). The match starts at 3 PM.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz will start his journey as permanent captain with this match. Just before the Sri Lanka series, he replaced Najmul Hossain Shanto as the ODI captain for one year.
Bangladesh lost the preceding two-match Test series 1-0, following an innings and 78 runs defeat in the final Test.
They began the tour on a strong note, having drawn the first Test after dominating a large portion of the game. But their batting vulnerability was exposed in the second Test, leading them to an ignominious defeat that is believed to have a bad impact on the ODI series.
Skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz, however, remained upbeat about their chance, saying that the ODI series will be a different ball game.
Bangladesh won just 12 and lost 43 against Sri Lanka in 57 meetings (two matches were washed out). However, the last five encounters between the two sides saw Bangladesh win three and lose two.
The two sides last met in an ODI series in March 2024, after which Bangladesh played two series against Afghanistan and West Indies and took part in Champions Trophy, which was their last ODI assignment.
Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan by 2-1 and suffered a whitewash at the hands of West Indies in a three-match series. Mehidy Miraz led the side in West Indies series in absence of Shanto. Also, Bangladesh fared badly in the Champions Trophy, in which they lost two matches against India and New Zealand.
Bangladesh's ODI record on Sri Lankan soil is also a dismal one. They last played a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2019, which the hosts swept with ease. Bangladesh played two more ODIs against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup, held in 2023 and lost those two matches also.
Bangladesh hadn't won any of the last six matches on Sri Lankan soil.
Bangladesh, however, is a different side now after the Champions Trophy. Taskin Ahmed has returned to the fold after recovering from the injury which will bolster the pace attack while Naim Shiekh who was a consistent performer in domestic circuit was recalled in ODI squad after two and half years.
Wicket-keeper batter Liton Das, middle-order batter Shamim Patwari and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam returned to the fold after failing to get a place in the Champions Trophy squad.
Soumya Sarkar and Nasum Ahmed were excluded while the two veterans-Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad-who were the integral part of the squad, had already retired from this format.
Squad: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Naim Sheikh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Liton Das, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Patwari, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud.
Source: BSS
bd-pratidin/Rafid
