T20 WC, Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: Preview, stats, and more
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are set to take on each other in the third Super 12 match of the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host the high-octane encounter. Notably, the two sides qualified for the Super 12 after playing Round 1 group stage games. It's expected to be a cracking contest. Here's the complete match preview.
The two sides have met 11 times in T20I cricket, with Sri Lanka leading the head-to-head series 7-4. Notably, Bangladesh have won the last two games. The two teams have met on just one occasion in the ICC T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka won the game by 64 runs in the 2007 edition.
The match will be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It will begin at 3:30 PM IST. The wicket in Sharjah is expected to be slow and scoring effectively will be pretty difficult. Spinners will be in the match and batters need to apply themselves well. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
Sri Lanka were terrific in the Round 1 group stage, topping their group with six points from three games. They bowled well throughout and also bowled Netherlands out for just 44 on Friday. Wanindu Hasaranga is the man in form and his exploits will be massive. The Lankans will need to work in their top-order and make sure important runs are scored.
After suffering a shocking defeat in their Round 1 opener against Scotland, the Tigers bounced back to gain wins against Oman and PNG respectively. Bangladesh have skipper Mahmudullah enjoying good form with the bat. Shakib Al Hasan has been in resounding form with the ball and has chipped in with the bat too. Bangladesh have enough experience to hurt the Lankans.
Shakib, who has 675 runs in 28 matches in the ICC T20 World Cup, can get past 700 runs. He can surpass AB de Villiers' tally of 717 runs. Shakib, who is the joint-top highest wicket-taker in the World T20, can steer clear of Shahid Afridi (39). Kusal Perera is aiming to surpass 400 T20I runs against Bangladesh (365).
