Asia Cup 2023, Super Fours Match 2 | Bangladesh Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka

image-lmabjcg8Mushfiqur Rahim played a fighting knock against Pakistan in the first match of the Super Four in Asia Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

After a  couple of days hiatus, the Super Four stages of 2023 Asia Cup is set to see its resumption with a shift in the venue. The Colombo leg kicks off with the so-called 'Nagin Derby' as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face one another in the R. Premadasa Stadium on September 9, slated to begin at 3:00 PM IST, Local Time.

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Sri Lanka finished the Group stages with four points and topped the charts after playing two matches. Firstly, they defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in their first assignment and followed it by clinching a narrow victory against Afghanistan. The second game was a must-win encounter for the Lankan Lions and they managed to deny Afghanistan a triumph within the curtailed overs for the qualification scenario.

On the flip  side, after losing the first game to Sri Lanka, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto's amazing century against Afghanistan enabled them secure the second spot in Group B. In their first Super Four clash Pakistan thrashed the Bangla Tigers by seven wickets. They must win this match in order to avoid having to rely on net run-rate situations for qualification. Having said, let us also have a quick look at the predicted XI of Bangladesh for their upcoming match against Sri Lanka.


Openers: Mohammad Naim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Bangladesh are likely not to tinker with the opening combination. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was brilliant against Afghanistan, notching a ton at the opening slot. His partner, Naim got some starts at times but failed to get along for long. It is expected that the management would persist with the same opening duo.


Middle-Order: Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, and Mushfiqur Rahim

Litton Das, who came into the side ahead of the Super Four stages is an important component of the Bangladesh set-up. Although he loves to open the batting, he is likely to fill the shoe of Najmul Hossain Shanto who is ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring pull. Towhid Hridoy was influential in the middle order for the team in the bilateral series' before the coveted Continental championship and hence would retain his spot. While, Mushfiqur Rahim is an experienced bloke and did notch-up a brilliant half-century in the last game.


All-rounders: Shakib Al Hasan, Afif Hossain, and Shamim Hossain Patwari

Shakib is the heart and soul of this Bangladesh set-up and showcased a brilliant fifty against Pakistan in the last game. Afif, on the other hand, has been a bit off-coloured but the management should give him a longer run to prove his mettle. And when it comes to an X-Factor in the side, Shamim Hossain brings that into the XI. He announced himself in the format with a six off the first ball and the team would need him to show some more of these intents in the coming clashes.


Bowlers: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam.

Taskin Ahmed is the leader of the Bangladesh bowling unit and can bowl across phases with domination. He would be supported by Shoriful Islam from the other end with the new ball.  A left-arm pacer is an indispensable entity of a bowling attack and Shoriful adds that flavour. Now, the final option is a toss-up between Hasan Mahmud and Mustafizur Rahman. The former failed to live up to the expectations in the last couple of matches and leaked runs in excess of 6.00 per over. Henceforth, the management could bring back the experienced Mustafizur for this important battle against Sri Lanka.


Bangladesh Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka

Mohammad Naim
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Litton Das 
Towhid Hridoy
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Shakib Al Hasan (c)
Afif Hossain
Shamim Hossain
Taskin Ahmed
Mustafizur Rahman
Shoriful Islam