BAN vs SL: Top 4 players battle to watch out for in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting from 23 May at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. Sri Lanka will step into this match with a new captain and a new team with many new faces. Newly-appointed captain Kusal Perera will play a key role in the series. Bangladesh is yet to announce their team for the series. However, the team has started practising at Shere Bangla.
In this article, we at InsideSport will take you through the list of the top four players battle which we will get to see in this BAN vs SL series.
Also Read: BAN vs SL: From Karunaratne to Mendis, four debutants to watch out for from Sri Lanka squad
Kusal Mendis vs Taskin Ahmed
The last time when SL played an ODI series against West Indies Kusal Mendis was not part of the squad. This time he has been added to the squad due to his heroics in the longest format of the game. In the 3rd ODI against West Indies in 2020 Kusal made a fifty, which was his last ODI for SL. He would aim to continue on the same note. The middle-order batsman will face Bangladesh pacer, Taskin Ahmed, who is struggling with the form. The last ODI he played was against New Zealand where he could only pick one wicket.
Danushka Gunathilaka vs Al-Amin Hossain
Danushka Gunathilaka is an attacking left-handed opening batsman and an occasional off-break, he is currently being seen as an option at the top of the order. In 41 ODIs he has an average of 36.82 with two centuries in it. In the last ODI against West Indies, he got the start but failed to convert it into a big one. He will be up against Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain, who made his ODI debut in 2014 but has been in and out of the team. He played his last ODI in 2020 against Zimbabwe where he picked just one wicket and leaked 81 runs in 10 overs.
Also Read: BAN vs SL Series: Bangladesh chief selector confirms, ‘Shakib Al Hasan will play at No.3’
Kusal Perera vs Mustafizur Rahman
With 101 ODI to his credit and the responsibility of captaining the side, all eyes will be on Kusal Perera. He also has the chance to complete 3,000 runs in the ODI cricket in the series. He has five centuries under his belt in 50 overs cricket. Perera will bat at number three in the upcoming series and will face Bangladesh’s, Mustafizur Rahman. In just 64 ODIs the left-arm pacer has picked 118 wickets which shows that he has been the bowling sensation for Bangladesh in the last few years. He will play a key role if the hosts want to win the series.
Akila Dananjaya vs Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan is certainly the legend for the Bangladesh cricket team. He has played 209 ODIs with 6436 runs to his credit. He has also picked 266 wickets with his left-arm spin. In the 2019 World Cup, he rediscovered himself at number three and in this series he will continue to bat in the same position. While Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya will be expected to put his best foot forward in this series. In 36 ODIs he has 51 wickets to his name. It will be an interesting battle between him and Shakib.
Editors pick
