After a heavy defeat in their opening match against South Africa in New York, Sri Lanka will be desperate for redemption in Dallas, where they face familiar foes Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 – their lowest total in T20 internationals – against South Africa’s pace attack on a tricky pitch, suffering a six-wicket defeat.
The result moved Sri Lanka to fourth place in Group D behind leaders South Africa, the Netherlands and Nepal, who have all played a match each. It also dented Sri Lanka’s net run rate, which stands at -1.048, and the island nation cannot afford to slip up again.
“We had a good chat with the boys and they have realised the mistakes they made,” Sri Lanka’s batting coach Thilina Kandambi told reporters on Thursday.
“They are experienced enough to come back in this game. We have spoken about it – a lot of things, how we are going to play up … I think boys are pretty much up for it.”
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh share an inane rivalry. Over the past few years and competitions, players have mocked and sledged each other on the field, adding more spice and drama to this contest.
While Sri Lanka had a shaky start to the tournament, Bangladesh also have had a bad form in the shortest format this year.
Bangladesh lost comprehensively against title favourites India in the pre-tournament warm-up match and suffered a shock T20 series loss at the hands of a fairly inexperienced USA side before the World Cup.
However, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto insists they have put those losses behind them.
“It’s very true that the top-order batsmen didn’t do well or they are not doing well. But tomorrow is completely a new day,” Shanto told reporters.
“I think everyone is giving 100 percent in practice and if you talk about improvement, everyone is in a good condition.
“Everyone is in a better position than before. Without worrying much about what happened before, tomorrow is a new day, we don’t know who will play well or who will not.”
Shanto urged his players to “finish the game” once they get going.
“We are working hard. The batters have prepared themselves, if we can execute it, it will be a good match,” he concluded.
The result of Friday’s contest could play a big role in both sides’ odds of making out of the so-called group of death and qualifying for the Super Eight stage.
Sri Lanka won the title in 2014, while Bangladesh’s best finish has been reaching the second round.
The Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas has hosted three matches, all featuring varied results. The first match was high-scoring, the next was low-scoring, while the third was an upset as the USA beat Pakistan in a super over after both teams scored 159.
The pitch is still expected to be good for batting. The weather is forecast to be fair with no rain.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have met 16 times in T20 internationals, with Sri Lanka winning 11 times.
