Revamped Sri Lanka set to take on Bangladesh in first ODI
Sri Lanka have made some changes to their squad, Kusal Perera will lead the side in his first stint as ODI captain. Kusal Mendis has been recalled and made the vice captain.
Lot of senior players like Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, and Dinesh Chandimal are missing from the squad and the visitors have given a chance to a couple of new faces with a goal of creating a bench for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
“We have played with most of the Sri Lanka players. We know that they are a quality side. We won’t have anything easy, and we have to give more than 100 percent to win games against them,” said Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal.
For Bangladesh, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan makes a return. He will most likely replace Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has been dropped from the Bangladesh squad for the first two ODIs.
“To be honest, Bangladesh has a few superstars in their team (and expected to be carrying the load of expectations) while we have a young side and we have nothing to lose. We are here to beat them, so we want to give our best to beat those guys, because in their home, they are very dangerous and we know that,” said Sri Lanka fast bowling allrounder Isuru Udana.
The squad also excludes Al Amin Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Rubel Hossain, and Nasum Ahmed, who were part of the New Zealand tour.
The last time both teams faced each other in an ODI series when Bangladesh visited Sri Lanka shortly after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. The series featured Lasith Malinga’s last ODI for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka won the series comprehensively with a 3-0 whitewash over Bangladesh. Both teams will be eyeing a series win to move up the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League table. The match will begin at 12.30pm local time and will be shown live on Channel Eye. (ICC)