Bangladesh has stated that Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, is not making them worry themselves to sleep.
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The Sri Lankan captain said that they believe Bangladesh to be a simpler opponent than Afghanistan, which they faced in their crucial match against Bangladesh on September 1 in Dubai and won by eight wickets.
“Afghanistan boasts an elite bowling squad. We are aware of Fizz’s [Mustafizur Rahman] skill as a bowler. Bowler Shakib [al Hasan] is of the highest caliber. However, there isn’t another elite bowler in the side outside them. Bangladesh is therefore a simpler foe when compared to Afghanistan.”
Shanaka added that they are fully aware of the strengths and limitations of Bangladesh, who have suffered eight defeats from their first 12 games in the shortest format, in the post-match press conference following the loss.
Mehedy Hasan, an all-rounder for Bangladesh, stated on Sunday that they are not prepared to respond to Shanaka verbally and are instead looking to demonstrate their value on the playing field.
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Mehedy told reporters on Sunday, “I don’t want to make a judgment that this team is fantastic and this team is poor.
Good and evil, in my opinion, are demonstrated through practice. A terrible team can triumph if they play well in a cricket match, just as a good team can lose if they perform poorly on a particular day.
“We will face off on the field, and at the end of the day, the good team will win the match. What I feel, however, is that we have to prove it there, because if we play well, everyone will know who is a good team and who is a bad team, so instead of making predictions beforehand, I think it is important to play well there,” he said.
Mehedy maintained that their focus should be on the task at hand, which is to face an assured-appearing Afghanistan in their debut game on September 30, not on Shanaka’s evaluation of their team at this time.
“Look, the first game is crucial for any tournament because it will determine how far we advance and the type of cricket we play because it will establish the team’s culture,” he remarked.
The team that performs better with the bat will have a better chance to win the game, he added. “If it is a spinning surface, that will be beneficial since both teams have quality spinners,” he said.
Afif Hossain was chosen by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to serve as the team’s vice-captain for the Asia Cup on August 27.
