New Delhi: Shakib al Hasan’s Bangladesh bat first at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi. Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, who lost the toss, said he doesn’t mind batting first and will be looking to post a total of more than 300.
Almost out of the 2023 World Cup, Sri Lanka progression to the semifinals hangs by a thread as they face Bangladesh in their second-last league stage fixture, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. Sri Lanka are currently seventh in the table with four points from seven matches, which includes two wins and five defeats.
Bangladesh have had a terrible run at this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, losing 6 of their 7 matches after winning their opening match against Afghanistan. In their last match against Pakistan, Bangladesh suffered a crushing defeat as the batsmen failed to put up a good total and were dismissed for 204 while the bowlers struggled to restrict runs as the total was chased down in just 32.3 overs.
The match has been in the news for non-cricketing reasons. Bangladesh players who are suffering from Asthma owing to the pollution in Delhi had to wear mask and skip practice sessions.
Meanwhile, ICC seems to be wondering who will join India and South Africa in the semi-finals. Yesterday, India defeated South Africa by 243 runs. This was India’s eight win in as many matches maintaining their unbeaten streak in the tournament.