Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain Charith Asalanka said on Tuesday that he wants to face Bangladesh in the series opener of the three-match ODI series on a good batting wicket at R. Premadasa Stadium, starting Wednesday.
R. Premadasa has been famous for producing spin-friendly tracks over the years.
However, Asalanka seems clear about his plans for the series against Bangladesh—he wants to put big runs on the board.
“Generally, Premadasa is a spin-friendly track. But I am looking to play this game on a good track, not spin-friendly. I think it will be good for the batters. We can see tomorrow,” he said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI.
He also wants to put on a show for the fans, as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka share a unique rivalry on the field, dating back to the famous nagin dance and Shakib’s broken dressing-room door—incidents that all happened at this very venue.
“I think we are good friends. But when it comes to playing cricket, it looks like a rivalry. That is what everyone expects to see—that kind of game, that kind of heat. But at the end of the day, we are good friends,” he said.
Both South Asian teams have shared an equal record in recent times, winning five matches each in their last ten ODI encounters, which tells you there are no easy games between these two sides when it comes to ODI cricket.
“I don’t think so. Every team is a challenge for us. Bangladesh is a tough opponent. They have been playing really good cricket in the recent past. The last ODI series we played in Bangladesh, I think Bangladesh won that. So this is going to be a huge challenge for us,” he said.
Bangladesh will play this series under a new captain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, with whom Asalanka shared ICC Under-19 World Cup memories back in 2016. However, when asked about Miraz’s captaincy, Asalanka didn’t say much.
“I can’t answer that question. As a player, I can answer about Mehidy Hasan. He is a good bowler and a batsman. I don’t know about his captaincy,” he said.
He also praised Mustafizur Rahman.
“Mustafiz is a great bowler. He has proven that in the past. He has taken a lot of wickets for Bangladesh. I think we have a clear plan for him. We know that he can be dangerous,” he said.
Source: Daily Sun
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