Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka – Asia Cup – Match Preview
With a place in the final lurking, a buoyant http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in the penultimate game of the Asia Cup 2012, to be played today, March 20, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.
The tournament began on a customary note, where the hosts suffered a narrow 21-run loss to Pakistan. However, their performance in the opening bout was appreciated, where they put considerable pressure on their opponents before relinquishing their winning position to falter against the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Ajmal-c87859.
Their next match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 finally got to his much-awaited hundredth ton.
With a record-run chase on the cards, the Bangladeshi batters started sensibly through http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mushfiqur-Rahim-c2045 gave the Indians a taste of their own medicine by compiling 49 and 46 respectively – snatching an unlikely victory with 4 balls to spare.
It leaves their fate firmly in their own hands, where a win against an underperforming Lankan unit could see them meet http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 for the second time in the competition. They certainly will be upbeat after their recent antics but need to ensure that they do not come apart under pressure - something they do time and again.
Going by form, their batting unit looks formidable with Tamim playing the anchorman upfront, while leaving the aggressive talisman Shakib to carry the late onslaught. The top and middle-order will pick themselves, while the slow bowlers will be relied upon heavily to stop the Lankan unit.
One change will be expected to the lineup after pacer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nazmul-Hossain-c78993 to help their side to finish up trumps and qualify for only their second ever final in the multi-nation tournament.
Their opponents will only play for pride after losing their first two encounters. Touted as favourites before the start, the Lankans remained out of their groove and will now look to take this game as a dress-rehearsal before travelling back home to take on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013.
After performing above par Down Under, where the key remained their collective play, the Asian http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 were lacklustre in contributing much to the tournament. However, their performance in the final game will be closely watched by all their counterparts.
A win would see India go through and contest the final against Pakistan - making it another mouthwatering contest for neutrals and fans. A loss, on the other hand, will seriously dent the good work done by the team under http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397, while allowing Bengali fans a much deserved chance to watch their side take the field for bigger honours.
The Lankan composition for the final game might see the exclusion of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LD-Chandimal-c1831 eager to get some runs under his belt.
The pitch at Mirpur will be expected to offer turn for the spinners, while batting will again become easier as the game progresses. One should expect another high-scoring battle.
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