Asia Cup 2023, Match 2 | Bangladesh's Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka
Bangladesh will be facing Sri Lanka in the second match of the Asia Cup 2023 (Source: Twitter)
The runners-up of the last Asia Cup (ODI) edition, Bangladesh face Sri Lanka in their opening match of the ongoing campaign. The encounter is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 31st, 2023 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele at 15:00 PM IST.
The Bangla Tigers led by veteran Shakib Al Hasan hope to go one step further this time around and clinch their maiden Asia Cup title. Five years back in 2018, they reached the summit clash only to lose out to team India. Bangladesh, who lost their ODI assignment 1-2 against Afghanistan at home last month, are already without their experienced campaigner Tamim Iqbal and wicketkeeper batter Litton Das.
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With the World Cup also just around the corner, Shakib and his men will be looking to put on some solid performances in the Asia Cup that will perfectly help them prepare for the global event.
Keeping the playing conditions and the recent form of the players in mind, here is the predicted XI of Bangladesh for Match 2 of Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka.
Openers: Anamul Haque and Mohammad Naim
Md Naim will be opening the innings for Bangladesh (Source: Twitter)
Anumul Haque has replaced the unwell Litton Das in the Bangladesh squad for the Asia Cup 2023. The right-handed batter has an average of 31 with three centuries and five half-centuries in the ODI format. With no Tamim and Litton, Mohammad Naim will get the chance to open alongside Haque.
Middle-Order: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim
Shanto will be a vital part of Bangladesh's success in the tournament (Source: Twitter)
Najmul Hossain Shanto has become an all-format player for Bangladesh now for his notable performances. The left-handed player has one hundred and three fifties to his name in the ODI format. Shakib has a wealth of experience for playing for his side over the years with him also being the skipper in this competition. Rahim is another veteran who has been playing for many years now as he and Shakib are the backbone of the batting line-up.
ODI Stats of the Bangladeshi middle-order in 2023:
| Players | Matches | Runs | Runs Per Innings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Najmul Hossain Shanto | 12 | 429 | 39.00 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 11 | 376 | 37.60 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | 12 | 446 | 55.75 |
All-rounders: Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Mehidy Hasan Miraz has the ability to be a match winner with both the bat and the ball (Source: Twitter)
Youngster Towhid Hridoy will form the lower middle-order for the Tigers along with Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. 22-year old Hridoy has made a relatively good start to his ODI career with three fifties at an average of 48.28 in eight innings. Coming in to bat lower down the order, Afif Hossain has an average of 29 with three half-centuries in the 50-overs format. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is another proper all-rounder with Shakib in the Bangladeshi squad. Miraz already has one century and two fifties to go with his 88 scalps.
Here is a look at the record of these players in ODIs in 2023:
| Players | Matches | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towhid Hridoy | 9 | 338 | - |
| Afif Hossain | 6 | 51 | - |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 10 | 132 | 9 |
Bowlers: Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud
Mustafizur Rahman's experince will be a key for Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2023 (Source: Twitter)
Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is just two scalps short of reaching the milestone of 150 ODI wickets. The seamer averages 25 with the best bowling figures of 6/43. Taskin Ahmed is the joint highest wicket-taker for his side in the format in 2023. Having made his debut in 2014, Ahmed has 81 wickets in his career so far. Hasan Mahmud has taken the joint-most wickets with Ahmed this year.
This is how the trio has done with the ball in ODIs in 2023:
| Players | Matches | Wickets | Strike-rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mustafizur Rahman | 7 | 7 | 39.3 |
| Taskin Ahmed | 7 | 12 | 24.5 |
| Hasan Mahmud | 7 | 12 | 24.0 |
Asia Cup, Match 2: Bangladesh's Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka
Anamul Haque
Mohammad Naim
Najmul Hossain Shanto
Shakib al Hasan (c)
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Towhid Hridoy
Afif Hossain
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Mustafizur Rahman
Taskin Ahmed
Hasan Mahmud
 "Pawan")
