SL, Bangladesh both look to end series on high

By Madushka Balasuriya

With the series decided, the stakes may be lower but Sri Lanka and Bangladesh still have much to play for as they head into today’s third and final ODI in Colombo. 

SLC Captain Dimuth Karunrathne

Bangladesh Captain Tamim Iqbal

For Bangladesh, after the first two games, more than the losses itself, it’s the manner of the defeats that would have left them stewing. Poor fielding, inconsistent bowling, and wasteful batting have been a hallmark throughout, and in the process they have allowed a Sri Lanka side that had been relatively low on confidence to grow in stature over the course of the series.

Mushfiqur Rahim didn’t mince words in attributing the series defeat to Bangladesh’s poor play rather than anything extraordinary on Sri Lanka’s part following the defeat on Sunday night, and while captain Tamim Iqbal downplayed those comments, he too noted that Sri Lanka may not have played as well as they had had Bangladesh pushed them a little harder.

“If we had played well maybe then Sri Lanka wouldn’t have played this good,” stated Tamim on the eve of the game. 

“The truth is, it’s not like that they aren’t playing good cricket, they are obviously playing good cricket. In some places, they are more disciplined than us. That’s one reason why we couldn’t win against them.

“But I agree with Mushfiqur in this regard that if we could have done our work well then the thing that they had done it would have been difficult for them. I think it’s a combination of both.”

Mushfiqur had also been scathing in his appraisal of Bangladesh’s bowling in the power play period, which he felt made things too easy for the Sri Lankan batsmen. Tamim though was more magnanimous, offering his bowlers a little more leeway while at the same time praising Sri Lanka’s batting.

“I thought it was a difficult wicket last game and we had set a 240 [239] target. I thought we had to go aggressive in the first ten to at least pick up a wicket or two. Yes, there were some good shots played and there were some bad balls too. I won’t blame completely the bowlers, sometimes you have to give credit to the batsmen. They have played some really good shots against some really good deliveries. But there is always room for improvement and that is what we are looking for in the last match.”

As for Sri Lanka, a win here, while undoubtedly growing their confidence levels ahead of what promises to be a trialling Test series against New Zealand next month, will also aid their goal to move up the rankings. Sri Lanka are currently on 79 points, 11 behind Bangladesh, but they could cut that gap down to four points with a 3-0 series win.

That said, captain Dimuth Karunaratne was adamant that their desire to end the series on a high would not be to the detriment of blooding in some of their younger players.

“We need to win the series 3-0 to go up in the rankings, but at the same time we need to give a chance for the youngsters,” explained Karunaratne. 

“Once I speak with the selectors and coach, we’ll settle on the best combination, but definitely some youngsters will get a chance.”

Karunaratne name-checked Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya and Wanindu Hasaranga, as the most likely to get some game time, though it remains unclear who will make way for them.

The Sri Lankan captain also revealed that his side were surprised to learn that the team’s series win was their first in 44 months, but despite the joy at that achievement he was keen to ensure that they stayed focused on the task at hand before any celebrations were undertaken.

“Even we didn’t realise it had been that long since a series win at home. That said, after we learnt of it, everyone was very happy to know that there was another match to finish the series on a real high.

“And everyone wants to come up little by little, whether it’s in their own game or the rankings, to raise it as much as possible. So we have one more match, it’s only after we win that will we celebrate.”