Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh 2nd ODI Preview Dream11 Prediction. SL vs BAN 2nd ODI Preview Dream11 Prediction

The atmosphere was raucous. Colombo was in party mode. Lasith Malinga, one of Sri Lanka’s finest ever limited overs bowlers, got the fitting send off he deserved in his side’s huge 91-run win in the opening ODI.

But, there is the matter of a series to win for Sri Lanka. The challenge now is to refocus after a special day on Friday, tasked with replacing Malinga, who was too good for the Bangladeshi batsmen even though they knew what was coming. Before Malinga stole the show, Kusal Perera set the stage alight with a big batting effort, and another can propel Sri Lanka to their first ODI series win at home since 2015.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, had a day to forget. They assisted in boosting the party atmosphere with poor bowling and fielding, with Tamim Iqbal often looking overwhelmed in his first ODI as captain. His side managed to bring things back in the last 20 overs of Sri Lanka’s innings, but when Tamim was floored by a trademark Malinga yorker, the game was always heading in one direction. Can the Tigers now keep the series alive?

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Key to a Sri Lanka win

That man Kusal Perera. Sri Lanka look a very dangerous side when he is in full flow, on show on Friday where Bangladesh had very few answers. Coming in at three, Sri Lanka would benefit greatly from a better outing by Avishka Fernando, who looked rather nervous first time out. With Bangladesh really struggling for penetration in the first half of ODI innings, a strong opening stand can make Kusal Perera even more dangerous. However, can the middle order bat with greater fluency this time around, after a struggle for boundaries at the death in the first match?

Also, Sri Lanka have small task of replacing Lasith Malinga. Such a task is not possible in one match, so how they bowl as a unit will be key. Tamim Iqbal, who will be striving for form, will be a key wicket up top, along with the top order who crumbled badly last time out. Nuwan Pradeep’s ability to nip the ball around and Lahiru Kamara’s pace can be disconcerting up top, but Sri Lanka need to pick up wickets regularly to reduce pressure at the death in the absence of Malinga.

Also read: Three players who were unlucky to miss out on Australia’s Ashes squad

Key to a Bangladesh win

The absence of Shakib Al Hasan was felt with bat and ball. A lack of control with the ball, combined with a bad top order collapse with the bat had Bangladesh reeling, playing catch up for almost the entire match. Here, top order wickets are the need of the hour in a must-win match, which might require Bangladesh to call on Mustafizur Rahman earlier – it was not until Sri Lanka were 107 after 15 that Mustafizur was introduced on Friday. Can the Tigers remove the dangerous Kusal Perera early and get into Sri Lanka’s middle order?

Indeed, the absence of Malinga will be of relief to Bangladesh’s openers. Both Tamim and Soumya were castled on Friday, and both now have a key role to play in transferring the pressure to Sri Lanka with the series on the line. With Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman strong in the middle order (despite the latter’s anti-climatic dismissal as often the case), the Tigers desperately need a response from their top order to keep the series alive.

Pitch and conditions

Like Friday, conditions will be hot and humid at the R Premadasa Stadium. There is a chance of showers, but they again could be avoided. The pitch is often a good one for batting, with Sri Lanka making 314 last game, with the previous five ODIs yielding a first innings average of 313.

Possible Playing 11

Who replaces Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka? It could be Isuru Udana, who missed out last game. Also, Sri Lanka have questions to answer – is it worth persisting with Angelo Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne so close together in key positions? What about the misfiring Thisara Perera?

Sri Lanka: 1. Avishka Fernando, 2. Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 3. Kusal Perera, 4. Kusal Mendis, 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Lahiru Thirimanne, 7. Dhananjaya de Silva, 8. Thisara Perera, 9. Isuru Udana/Kasun Rajitha, 10. Lahiru Kamara, 11. Nuwan Pradeep

Bangladesh, despite the defeat, could stick with the same team. One possible change could be Taskin Ahmed coming in for either Shafiul Islam or Rubel Hossain.

Bangladesh: 1. Tamim Iqbal (c), 2. Soumya Sarkar, 3. Mohammad Mithun, 4. Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5. Mahmudullah, 6. Sabbir Rahman, 7. Mosaddek Hossain, 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9. Shafiul Islam, 10. Mustafizur Rahman, 11. Rubel Hossain/Taskin Ahmed

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Stats and Facts

• Sri Lanka have not won an ODI series at home since beating West Indies 3-0 in 2015.
• Bangladesh are still without a win in ODIs at R Premadasa Stadium (nine attempts).
• Tamim Iqbal needs 129 runs to become the first Bangladesh batsman to reach 7,000 ODI runs.
• Sri Lanka and Bangladesh played out a 1-1 series draw in 2017. Can Bangladesh level it up this time?

Match Prediction

Can Sri Lanka quickly get back to full focus after such a great day on Friday?

I have the sneaky feeling Bangladesh will bounce back with the Malinga factor no longer the case in ODIs. This could very well be an interesting match.

Thanks for reading!

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