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Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will lock horns in the second game of the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday, September 9 in Colombo.

The Tigers didn’t get off to a great start in the Asia Cup as they were outplayed by Sri Lanka in a Group B fixture. Shakib Al Hasan and Co. played a must-win encounter against Afghanistan and managed to come out on top. In the opening match of the Super Fours, Bangladesh couldn’t pose much of a challenge to Pakistan as the Men in Green won by seven wickets. Once again, Bangladesh are in what could possibly be a do-or-die situation. A loss against Sri Lanka would mean their hope of reaching the final would not be in their own hands.

Sri Lanka are unbeaten in the tournament thus far. They defeated Bangladesh and Afghanistan to secure pole position in Group B. However, they survived a huge scare as Afghanistan squandered a great chance to knock the co-hosts of the tournament out. Without some of their premier players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, the defending champions will have to bring their A-game to the fore as they go deeper into the tournament.

Bangladesh fans would not like to take a look at the record of their team at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They have lost all the 11 ODI matches they have played at this venue. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have won 74 matches and lost 39 with seven games ending in No Result. The average first innings score is only 225. The last these two sides played in this year’s Asia Cup, Sri Lanka bowled out their opponent for 164 runs before chasing the target with five wickets and 11 overs to spare. A cause for concern is the 80 percent chance of precipitation that is predicted for Saturday. Let’s hope the rain stays away as we can expect a cracker of a contest between two sides who have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years.