Bangladesh look to give Mashrafe victorious send-off

Thursday, 6 April 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ESPNcricinfo: The second T20 international against Sri Lanka today will be Mashrafe Mortaza’s last, and Bangladesh will be keen to farewell their captain with a victory. If Bangladesh come back from Tuesday’s thrashing and win, the T20I series will end in a draw, like the ODI and Test series did.

Sri Lanka, who were clinical in the first game, will look to stretch Bangladesh’s losing streak in T20Is to nine.

It was the returning Kusal Perera who led Sri Lanka’s charge in the first match with a 53-ball 77. He found little support from the other end, but that did not stop Sri Lanka from acing a chase of 156. Lasith Malinga, predictably, was Sri Lanka’s most effective bowler with two wickets. Vikum Sanjaya’s swing, Asela Gunaratne’s dibbly-dobblers, and Seekugge Prasanna’s accurate legspin ably complemented Malinga.

Mosaddek Hossain and Mahmudullah played cameos to rescue Bangladesh’s innings, but the side will need more from the top order, especially Soumya Sarkar who has a tendency to throw away starts.

To give Mashrafe the perfect send-off in this format, Bangladesh will have to improve their fielding, and they also must find a way to absorb pressure. That is how they won at the P Sara Test and Dambulla ODI. Kusal Perera’s renewed vigour enabled him to make a match-winning half-century in the first game, and now will look to blend that vigour with consistency.

All eyes will be on Mashrafe Mortaza, who had announced his retirement from T20Is at the toss in the previous game. Will it turn out to be a happy ending for Mashrafe?

Sri Lanka are likely to retain their winning combination from the first T20I.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, might consider replacing Taskin Ahmed with offspinning allrounder Mehedi Hasan, who is uncapped in T20Is.

The second T20I will be played on the same pitch that was used for the first one. It is expected to be good for batting, but is likely to assist the spinners as the game wears on. Showers have been forecast for the day but the chance of rain in the evening is small.