Tigers look to stay afloat

We did not have a good start as we lost three wickets for 30 runs. But still the way we recovered and if that partnership [between Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman] could add more 60-70 runs then the game could have been different. I think the most important thing is whoever gets in, he has to make it big.

Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh stand-in captain

After suffering a crushing 91-run defat in the first ODI on Friday, Bangladesh will certainly be desperate to stay alive in the three-match series against Sri Lanka when the sides face off in the second one-dayer at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo today.

In the first match, openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar once again failed to provide a good start but it should be mentioned that both left handers were dismissed by signature Lasith Malinga yorkers. Much to the Tigers' relief though, Sri Lanka will be without the services of Malinga today as the pace legend retired from the format after Friday's encounter.

It will also be crucial for Tamim to get back in the groove. The Tigers' stand-in captain has seemingly not been able to overcome the added pressure which began with the ICC Cricket World Cup, where the 31-year-old remained below par throughout.

Apart from Tamim, this series is also the perfect platform for the likes of Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain to prove their worth and take their game to the next level.

In the first one-dayer, the Tigers lagged behind in all three departments -- batting, bowling and fielding -- not just in comparison to their opponents but also considering their own standards.

Sabbir did manage to score his sixth ODI fifty in a crucial juncture of the encounter when Bangladesh were struggling on 34 for four. Sabbir, alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, added 111 runs for the fifth wicket with the latter scoring a 50.

However, just when Sabbir needed to play a big innings to steady the ship, the right hander lost his cool and tried to take on the off-spin stylings of Dhananjaya de Silva only to be caught at deep mid-wicket on a 57-ball 60, featuring seven boundaries.

Much like Sabbir, another bright prospect, Mosaddek, needed to deliver as the 23-year-old had been rated as an aspiring all-rounder on the Bangladesh team.

Mosaddek showed a glimpse of his abilities when he smashed the fastest ODI fifty in Bangladesh's record books to help the Tigers defeat West Indies in the ODI tri-series final in Ireland ahead of the World Cup in May, delivering a maiden multi-nation trophy in process.

On Friday, despite a flying start with the bat, courtesy of a blistering hundred from Kusal Perera, Bangladesh's bowlers did manage to bounce back well in the latter part of the innings. Sri Lanka were eventually restricted to 314 even though it looked as though they would post something closer to the 350-run mark at one point.

Shafiul Hossain made a decent return to the ODI side following a three-year haitus as the right-arm seamer was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets. However, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain were expensive and so the pace trio will surely need to step up today.

According to sources, the team management will opt for the same combination that played in the first ODI but will feature a better approach to all three departments with fielding being a major concern following some poor ground work in the first ODI.

There was no official training session for the Tigers yesterday and the team spent their time at the gym before a pool session. However, in a promising turn of events, Tamim, Taijul Islam and Anamul Haque opted to bat at the R Premadasa Stadium nets instead.