Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI Predictions and Series Preview

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Bettingcric after a prolonged gap with no cricket. For all our fellow cricketholics out there, we know these are tough times, but there will be plenty of action in the coming months to compensate. The first item on our docket is the ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They may not be the most illustrious teams in the world, but they match up well, and with both teams recently struggling, this promises to be a hard-fought, competitive series. Before the Bangladeshi Tigers go claw-to-claw with the Lankan Lions, let’s take a look at how they stand.

Bangladesh

Full squad for ODI series vs Sri Lanka

Tamim Iqbal (c), Liton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam.

Bangladesh predicted XI for 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka

Tamim Iqbal (c), Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyad, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan.

Bangladesh team preview and form

• Bangladesh seems to still be struggling to find a stable, solid captain for ODI matches, with the crown going back to the dubious Tamim Iqbal.

• With no uncapped players in the squad, the home side looks like they mean business.

• The omission of Najmul Islam Shanto is a definite surprise after the youngster pulled off a fantastic double ton in a Test against the Lankans just weeks ago. 

• After having struggled for a while, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim will both have to prove their worth with both bat and (in Mushfiqur’s case if he’s keeping) keeping gloves. 

• Shakib’s return will undoubtedly strengthen the bowling lineup, with right-arm off spinner Miraz combining well with his left-arm leggie teammate.

• With only Zimbabwe and West Indies visiting Bangladesh since England visited over 4 years ago, there’s really not much to measure the Tigers’ home form in their favourite format. But if the series’ before that are to be taken into account, they are undoubtedly favourites.

Bangladesh key players for 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka

Tamim Iqbal: After putting in ODI-esque performances when playing Tests in Sri Lanka just weeks ago, Tamim needs to bat similarly here.

Soumya Sarkar: If Soumya can find consistency, he can be a true asset for Bangladesh.

Shakib Al Hasan: Going through a rough patch in his career, a good series would do Shakib a world of good.

Taskin Ahmed: Arguably the best speedster in Bangladesh right now. 

Sri Lanka

Full squad for ODI series vs Bangladesh

Kusal Perera (c/wk), Kusal Mendis (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Ashen Bandara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dushmantha Chameera, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando.

Sri Lanka predicted XI for 1st ODI vs Bangladesh

Kusal Perera (c), Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Ashen Bandara.

Sri Lanka team preview and form

• Danushka Gunathilaka’s captaincy has been transferred to Kusal Perera at least for this series, and although we fail to see any strong reason for that, the outcome of the series may see another change.

• The absence of Dinesh Chandimal is something of a surprise, but the Lankan squad looks pretty strong otherwise, with a bevy of youngsters in tow for good measure.

• The sheer proliferation of all-rounders will make team selection both convenient and difficult, with multiple options available for those middle to lower order roles and not as many for either end - especially batting.

• Youngsters Pathum Nissanka and Ashen Bandara showed promise in his debut campaign a few months ago, and they’ll have to support their veteran teammates well if given the chance.

• It’s no secret that Sri Lanka’s performance has been pretty choppy as of late, but it is indeed shocking that they haven’t won a bilateral away series against a Test playing nation since beating England all the way back in 2014. That being said, they did win two tri-series’, with one featuring Bangladesh. 

Sri Lanka key players for 1st ODI vs Bangladesh

Danushka Gunathilaka: Having the captaincy taken from him might either sap Gunathilaka of confidence or make him grit his teeth and prove the selectors wrong. We think it’ll be the latter.

Pathum Nissanka: Once again, we think he’ll do well if given the chance.

Lakshan Sandakan: This has a big chance of being Wanindu Hasaranga instead, but one of the leggies will most likely do well.

Dushmantha Chameera: Not the most deadly bowler in general, but given the unpredictable nature of Bangladeshi batters, who knows? 

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka head to head

Sri Lanka’s 39 wins make Bangladesh’s 9 look pale, but given the home side’s home form, the Lankans will have a steep hill to climb unless their opponents make it easy for them - either through poor captaincy or by the batters throwing their wickets away.

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI pitch report and weather conditions 

After multiple low-scoring affairs against the West Indies a few months ago, the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium will most likely be made more batting-friendly. That being said, spinners will have a strong say at this ground no matter what - especially given the longer straight boundaries. Expect teams winning the toss to choose to bat first and aim for 280+.

It will be a hot, humid afternoon to start with in Dhaka, but that humidity might very well give in to rain in the evening, so teams batting second will have to do so keeping the possible implementation of Duckworth-Lewis-Stern in mind. 

Can a struggling Bangladesh start off an important series with an important win? Or will the visiting Lankans overcome their own demons to forge a claim on a much-needed away series? Find out if our Bangladesh versus Sri Lanka 1st ODI predictions come true on Sunday!