What is it?
2019 World Cup group stage match
Who is playing?
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
When is it?
Today, 1.30pm (UAE time) start
Where is it being played?
Bristol County Ground, Bristol
How to watch in UAE?
Tune in to OSN Sports Cricket HD or create an online account with Wavo for US$54 (a little less than Dh200). The account will provide customers access to two channels, OSN Cric Xtra 1 and OSN Cric Xtra 2.
What’s their head-to-head like?
Matches: 45
Bangladesh won: 7
Sri Lanka won: 36
No result: 2
Form guide (past five games):
Bangladesh: LLWWW
Sri Lanka: WLWLL
What they said:
Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh captain, on what motivates his team: "I'm not worried about who is respecting us, I'm more worried about our performance. Winning matches is more important for us. I don't think respect is going to work in the 22 yards [of a pitch]. It all depends on how we react on the ground. If we can win two points, this is more important than respect at the moment."
Jon Lewis, Sri Lanka batting coach, on Angelo Mathews' form: "With Angelo you have to have faith in a guy who has done as much as he has over a long period of time and he tells me he is in a good place and good headspace. I have no reason to doubt that the runs will come from him."
Likely XIs:
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahman (wk), Mohammed Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammed Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mustafizur Rahman.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga.
Summary:
There was a time when Sri Lanka dominated their matches against Bangladesh, which explains why they boast a 36-7-2 head-to-head record. But in recent times, the Tigers along the Bay of Bengal Bengal have started to roar louder than the Lions situated in the Indian Ocean, emerging perhaps as the third-best Asian cricket team after India and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka's form has dipped since Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and, more recently, Rangana Herath retired from international cricket. Beset off the field by politics and struggling to find form and fortunes on the field, the Sri Lankans are playing at the 2019 World Cup as if to prepare for next edition, to be held in the subcontinent in four years' time. Led by Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka are showing signs of rebuilding.
Whether they have the firepower to beat Bangladesh today is very much in doubt, with the latter determined to show the world their entry into the 2015 cup quarter-finals was no fluke.
