Bangladesh cricket coach Chandika Hathurusingha (L) gives instructions to cricketer Mustafizur Rahman (R) as bowling coach Courtney Walsh (C) look on during a practice session at The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on 30 March, ahead of a third and final match of a one day international series against Bangladesh which will be held in Colombo on 1 April – AFP

ESPNCricinfo: Sri Lanka would have felt hard done by after rain ruined the second ODI, when they put up a total of 311. No team had ever won a 50-over game on the island after being set a target over 300.

But after taking Sri Lanka’s last six wickets in the final five overs, Bangladesh must have thought they were in the contest. Taskin Ahmed’s hat-trick would have charged them up even further and considering they had made their highest total away from home in the first ODI - 324 - things had been shaping up brilliantly before the weather intervened.

Bangladesh may be 1-0 up and eyeing a series win, but with Kusal Mendis living up to his promise and the rest of the Sri Lankan line-up batting around his maiden hundred Tuesday, the hosts would feel like they have got their menace back. Upul Tharanga made an eye-catching half-century as well, but the team management would want him to play a longer innings, while also hoping Thisara Perera’s 9 in Dambulla was a one-off low score. The big-hitting allrounder made 55 off 35 balls only a week ago and another such display could help them end a five-match losing streak.

With the action moving to the SSC, and its slow and dry surfaces, Bangladesh would have an easier time putting behind their bowling performance from the last game. They can expect grip for Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters and turn for Mehedi Hasan’s offbreaks. So should the weather hold up well, a contest with a lot of context is on the cards.

After his Test century in Galle earlier this month, Kusal Mendis had said that he wanted to be a leading batsman in world cricket and his 107 off 107 balls in Dambulla was another reminder of this young batsman’s ambition. He was very much on-side dependent but that was mostly because the Bangladesh bowlers preferred to attack his stumps. Sri Lanka would expect more runs from their No. 3, especially in a crunch situation.

He didn’t get going in the first ODI but Mushfiqur Rahim had a pretty good day behind the stumps, despite missing one stumping. He held a fine running catch to dismiss Danushka Gunathilaka, helped in the Tharanga’s run-out and then produced direct hits to end Dilruwan Perera and Thisara Perera’s stay in the middle. All he needs no are some runs.

An ODI hasn’t been played at the SSC in six years, but in the interim, it has hosted plenty of List-A games. The average score for the team batting first those games is a remarkably low 146. Chandika Hathurusingha was slightly surprised that the pitch looked underprepared even two days before the ODI. Weather in Colombo could be troublesome on match day too, with chances of a late-afternoon shower.

Bangladesh reject invitation to tour Pakistan

ESPNCricinfo: Bangladesh have refused to tour Pakistan for a proposed two-match T20I series sometime before July this year.

In a bid to bring international cricket back to the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board had extended an invitation to their counterparts in the Bangladesh Cricket Board after they had successfully hosted the PSL final in Lahore three weeks ago. Among the people who were present at that game was Major AKM Anisud Dowla, a BCB representative.

On Friday, Jalal Younis, the BCB’s media and communication committee chairman, told Dhaka Tribune that, “the reports were not satisfactory enough due to which we had to pull back.”

PSL chairman Najam Sethi was adamant about hosting the final in Lahore on March 5 and had taken extensive measures to ensure its security. There were bulletproof buses for the teams and five tiers of security extending 2 km from the Gaddafi stadium. Paramilitary forces and local policemen were on hand to monitor the situation as well. The ICC security advisor Sean Norris, who also attended the PSL final, is expected to submit his report of the night at the ICC board meeting in April.

Pakistan are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in July and the PCB is seeking a part of the revenue generated from the series. They believe they are owed compensation for the BCB rejecting invitations to play in Pakistan for the last six years.

Pakistan Cricket Board Chief to step down in August

Reuters: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Shaharyar Khan will not seek another term in office due to personal and health reasons and is to step down in August when his current tenure ends.

The 83-year-old administrator, who has been in the post since 2014, said he had already made his plans known to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is the patron of the PCB.

“I have taken the board in confidence and conveyed my decision that I will not continue after our mandate is ending on August 18,” Shaharyar told reporters after chairing a board meeting in Lahore.

“I will not continue after it as chairman or as in any other capacity and it’s my decision on the basis of personal and health reasons.”