Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Prediction: Who will win today's Asia Cup 2022 match?
The build-up to the 2022 Asia Cup clash between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Thursday, September 1, has been anything but low-key. The rivalry between the two teams, which stretches back to four years ago, has spiraled into something more dramatic of late, with parties from both sides taking shots at each other rather unabashedly.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka and Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud have been among those engaged in the crossfire. Unfortunately for the duo, neither of their teams have been able to back up their talks with winning performances on the field. With both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a dreadful run of form in T20I cricket, a loss wouldn't prove to be any more embarrassing - or unexpected - than usual.
The stakes are high in Asia Cup cricket, especially with a spot in the Super 4 on the line. Afghanistan have already qualified by convincingly beating both of these teams, with India also easing through their group. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, meanwhile, need to iron out the innumerable kinks in their armor to notch up a rare win before attempting to achieve the impossible in the next round.
Asia Cup 2022: Spinners hold the key for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Sri Lanka's top order was blown away by the Afghanistan pacers in their first Asia Cup game. Bangladesh batters met the same fate, albeit by the Afghan spinners. Both top orders need a serious rethink, especially with a few in the middle order lacking the ability to get after the bowling immediately.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the only batter to show some fluency for Sri Lanka as he broke a poor run of form before running himself out. Others, especially Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis, did themselves no favors by being stuck at the crease against the guile of Fazalhaq Farooqi and Co. Although Pathum Nissanka was unfortunate to be adjudged caught-behind, it might be in Sri Lanka's best interests to drop their young opener and replace him with someone more dynamic.
Intent is something Bangladesh lack as well. The experienced trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah aren't exactly tailor-made for the T20I format, and the youngsters aren't overly flashy either. The only way for the Tigers to sneak a win will be to hope that their bowlers come up with the goods and chase down a reasonable total.
That brings us to the second sub-battle between these two teams - the spinners. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana are two of the best in the business, capable of bowling at any stage of the innings while being both penetrative and economical. Bangladesh's tweakers - Shakib, Mahedi Hasan and a slew of part-time off-spinners - are less scary on paper but are fairly adept at keeping the opposition batters in check. Neither pace attack inspires much confidence, so several overs of spin might be in order despite the venue change from Sharjah to Dubai.
Overall, Sri Lanka are the more well-rounded outfit. Bangladesh are capable of pulling off a victory, but Shanaka and Co. have the personnel to make the Super 4.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to win Match 5 of the Asia Cup