Buoyant Tigers eye series win against lackluster Lankans

Being 1-0 up, Bangladesh will look to seal the deal against Sri Lanka today in the second ODI of the three match series. The match will begin at 2.30 pm local time in the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 

The Tigers clinched a comfortable victory in the first game, beating the Lankans by six wickets with 32 balls to spare. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto played an innings for the ages, he was unbeaten, scoring 122 from 129 balls, which is also his best score in ODI cricket. Mushfiqur Rahim also played his part in the win, along with the pacers, who flourished after a rather shaky start.  

Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp praised the team's batting effort in the first game. He was delighted with what he saw, "I thought it was a fantastic chase. I think the important thing for us is that we didn't panic. Obviously, individual contributions were really good, but for us, it was more around the mindset, about staying calm and playing with control, which I thought we did."

Hemp also reserved extra praise for Shanto, whose innings was also the highest one by a Bangladesh captain in a successful ODI run chase. 

"Captain leading from the front, very important. Taking on that responsibility. Holding true to what we're talking about doing, so about actions and he led by his actions last night (Wednesday). And again, not just the 100, but also his highest one day international score as well. So, a really good day out for him as an individual player, but also as a captain of this team."

However, that was the story of the first game. It's a new day, and every ball will be new. Sri Lanka will definitely try to bounce back, because it is their last chance to save the series. If they repeat the mistakes they made in the previous game with bat and ball, it's very likely that the series will be done and dusted there. Kusal Mendis's team certainly doesn't want to go to the last game of the series to try to save themselves from getting 'Banglawashed'. 

Although Sri Lanka did not train yesterday as they took a day off, Bangladesh did have an optional practice session where some of the players were seen present. But their session didn't last long. The sudden drizzle in Chattogram might have had an effect on the practice. Shanto's team is likely to remain unchanged; the only change could be Rishad Hossain in for Taijul Islam, who was rather expensive in the first game giving away 54 runs in his eight overs without taking a wicket in unfavorable conditions.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have a lot to think about. Their bowlers gave them a brilliant start with the new ball in the first game with the hosts three down with just 23 runs on the board, but they couldn't continue. The pressure was piling on Bangladesh, but some rudderless bowling from the Lankans - 19 extras with 17 wides - helped the hosts cut loose. They wouldn't want that to happen again in this game. So, there might be more than one change in the starting XI, Lahiru Kumara could make his way for Chamika Karunaratne.