Asia Cup 2018: Match 1, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka – Trend Analysis

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will kick-start the forthcoming Asia Cup that is returning in the 50-overs format once again after four years. Bangladesh holds an edge over the Lankans due to the experience in their squad and the recent success they’ve had against some of the top teams. The Bangla team has a really good combination in place for the ODI format and is high on confidence having won the limited-overs leg on the Caribbean tour. Sri Lanka will be hoping that the conditions suit their spinners and their big-hitting all-rounders who can turn the game on their day.

Bangladesh:

In 2018: Played – 8, Won – 5, Lost – 3

Trend: Won four out of five ODIs in 2018 while batting first.

Bangladesh certainly have a pattern in matches that they manage to win. While the world prefers to chase in the limited-overs more often at the moment, Bangladesh favour defending the totals. This is mostly due to the habit they’ve developed while playing at home on tracks that slow down a bit. They have formed a bowling attack that suits the second innings and manage to defend even a target of around 250 runs. Bangladesh won four of five ODIs while batting first but only one of the three while chasing.

The Mashrafe Mortaza-led side might feel comfortable batting first in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which replicate the tracks usually in use in the subcontinent. In the last ten completed ODIs in Asia, Bangladesh won only one of the four while chasing but were victorious in four of the six ODIs in which they batted first. During the series win in West Indies where they defended targets twice in two games against a team with quite some batting depth.

Sri Lanka:

In 2018: Played – 10, Won – 5, Lost – 5

Trend: Lost all five ODI matches they played in UAE last year.

Sri Lanka have quite an interesting record in 2018. They bounced back to win the title in the Triangular series in Bangladesh from nearly being knocked out in the group stages. Later in the home series against South Africa, the Lankans won the last two games of the 5-match ODI series after taking a real thrashing in the first two matches. Compared to Bangladesh, the Lankans don’t have a trend that backs their case.

One of the reasons for this has been the inconsistency in their squad selection. They’ve not backed the same set of players for consecutive ODI series in the recent times adding to the ever-changing captaincy responsibilities. However, the recent wins against South Africa and in Bangladesh can give Sri Lanka confidence to defend totals as the tracks are expected to slow down. Their power-packed middle and lower-order might as well play a crucial role in guiding them through run-chases.

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