Deadline: July 26, 2019 at 2:30 PM IST
Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Pitch and conditions
The weather looks bleak on Friday. We may witness a few interruptions. Come to think of it, it was the incessant rains that put a dampener on Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign. They will be praying for clear skies, for it is Lasith Malinga’s swansong.
The average first and second innings scores at R. Premadasa Stadium read 234 and 194 respectively. The batsmen have to take their time on this pitch before they start an onslaught.
Predictions
No team has chased down a target of over 300 runs here. The highest total chased is 288 by India against the home team. However, given the gloomy weather, captains may as well choose to bowl first in order to steer clear of the uncertainties that the DLS creates.
Probable XI for Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Kasun Rajitha/Nuwan Pradeep
Probable XI for Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal (c), Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ names to get the data while making your fantasy team.
My 11: Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Dhananjaya de Silva, Mosaddek Hossain, Lasith Malinga (vc), Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Isuru Udana
Head-to-head
Bangladesh have won a mere 7 times in 45 ODIs against Sri Lanka – 2 of which have come in Sri Lanka.
Their recent encounter was in the 2019 World Cup. It was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.
Sri Lanka aim for a perfect farewell for Slinga Malinga
Is it a round-arm action? Doesn’t his arm even straighten up? How do we define his bowling action? Lasith Malinga had everyone puzzled and looking for words when he entered international cricket. The batsmen asked the umpires to take off their hats so they could spot the ball in Malinga’s hand. The umpires asked Malinga to bowl a little away from the stumps so they could look at the batsmen. In true sense of the word, Malinga is unique.
Everyone thought, with that action, Malinga won’t survive long, but he has been around for a decade and a half now. Two World Cup finals, a Word T20 victory, and 533 international wickets later, the Slinga Malinga has decided to put curtains on his career. The first ODI will be his last assignment, allowing him to shoot toe-crushing yorkers for one last time in front of his home crowd.
Players to watch out for
Mushfiqur Rahim was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup, having amassed 367 runs including a hundred and 2 fifties. He will have to lead the batting unit in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan.
Avishka Fernando’s selection was the best decision the Sri Lankan selectors made in recent times. He played only 4 matches but managed as many as 201 runs with a strike rate of 105.7.
Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Isuru Udana have fifties to their name in international cricket. Their primary role was to bowl when the first played. However, when they were asked to score runs, they did it with conviction. Having bowlers who can bat is always a bonus in fantasy cricket.
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket