Asia Cup: Rumble in the jungle as The Lions clash with The Tigers

If Bangladesh were hoping to make short work of Hong Kong on Thursday, like what Afghanistan did in the Asia Cup opener, they were in for a mild surprise. True, they won in a canter in Abu Dhabi, but then, they should have won at a gallop and they may yet end up ruing their cautious approach to the finish line.

After taking turns to more or less knock Hong Kong out of the tournament – the Far East Asians were never in the mix anyway – Afghanistan have a net run rate of 4.700 while The Tigers languish at 1.001. And with their next match against six-time Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi today, Litton Das’ side cannot afford to slip up.

For The Lions, it will be their first match of the tournament, with the other seven teams having already played at least one match each. A hugely successful side at this event, behind only India in terms of titles, they will fancy their chances of going all the way this time around, after having been soundly beaten at home by India in the last edition.

Here’s a look at the key players and factors going into the match…

Bangladesh skipper and keeper Das is an old hand, having started his career a decade back. He showed his batting prowess against Hong Kong with a 39-ball 59 after both openers were back in the dugout early. Das has been in a rich vein of form, being the highest run-getter in the recent series against the Netherlands after scoring 145 runs in three games. Incidentally, he is also Bangladesh’s highest individual run-scorer in an ODI innings with 176.

His leadership skills have also garnered lot of praise. In December 2024, he was selected to lead Bangladesh in a 3-match T20 series against West Indies and they went on to whitewash the Caribbeans under his leadership, becoming only the third team after India and England to whitewash West Indies in West Indies. He has now won four T20 series as skipper, the best by a Bangladeshi. On Thursday too, he impressed with his field positioning against Hong Kong, and for someone who has taken on three roles for his team, Bangladesh’s prospects against Sri Lanka depend a lot on this 30-year-old.

Wanindu Hasaranga is a true superstar in the Sri Lankan side with his ability to bowl, bat and field with great expertise. His impact on the side was best exemplified in the series against Bangladesh in July, when he led the bowling with a superb performance, picking up 4/10 in the decider to finish with nine wickets and help seal the three-match ODI series. He picked up a hamstring injury while batting, causing him to miss the three-match T20 series thereafter, which Bangladesh won.

The versatile leg-spinner’s return will be a shot in the arm for the Charith Asalanka-led side, given that his powerful lower-order batting and electrifying fielding makes him a complete package.  

Two matches have been played at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium in this Asia Cup so far and the average first innings score is around 166 on a surface that has something in it for both batters and bowlers.

Needless to say, the powerplay overs are going to be crucial with the new ball expected to offer some swing under the lights. On paper, Sri Lanka bring more firepower into this crucial encounter, but with Bangladesh playing their second match at the venue, it would be unwise to write them off.