Bangladesh look to bounce back in second ODI against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh head into the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Saturday determined to recover from a dramatic batting collapse in the series opener, knowing that only a win will keep the three-match contest alive.

In the first ODI, the visitors lost eight wickets in the space of just 27 deliveries, ultimately slumping to a 77-run defeat in Colombo.

To stage a swift turnaround, the Bangladesh players will need to regain their composure and adopt a clear strategy to counter Sri Lanka's spin attack.

Some unexpected advice for the Bangladesh camp came from none other than Sri Lanka's head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, who spoke about the psychological aspect of bouncing back from such a collapse.

"Batting collapses can happen to any team. The key is for the management and captain to give the players confidence – that's what stops them from crumbling under pressure," the Sri Lankan legend said at Friday's pre-match press conference.

"Of course, it's difficult to recover mentally, but if the players feel trusted, they'll eventually come out of it," he added.

Bangladesh had made a promising start in their pursuit of Sri Lanka's 245-run target in the first match, largely thanks to a 61-ball 62 from opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim.

Tanzid and Najmul Hossain Shanto put on a solid 71-run stand for the second wicket. However, the momentum shifted abruptly when Shanto was run out for 23, followed shortly by Tanzid's dismissal via a superb catch at mid-off — triggering a collapse that left Bangladesh in disarray.

Tanzid, reflecting on his own performance, admitted he was disappointed with the outcome.

"I don't think I played well because I couldn't deliver what the team needed. If I had done that, then I could say I played well," he said.

Jayasuriya, meanwhile, praised his team's self-belief, even when Bangladesh were 96 for 1 after 16 overs.

"We just tried to keep it tight, and it worked after that run out from Milan [Rathnayake], followed by a key catch from Janith [Liyanage]. That changed the game. Our three spinners kept applying pressure throughout," he said.

Bangladesh's task will be further complicated by the absence of head coach Phil Simmons, who has travelled to the UK for a scheduled medical appointment and will miss the second match.

Middle-order batters Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz – all right-handers – struggled to cope with the spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis. However, according to Tanzid, the team has since reviewed their approach and found potential solutions.

"We had an in-depth discussion, and the coach gave us some useful insights. On these types of wickets, set batters need to see the game through. Also, left-handed batters should face more balls against Hasaranga, since he's not as effective against them as he is against right-handers. We hope to put that plan into action in the next match," Tanzid added.