Three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starts this afternoon

Sports Desk:  Three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka starts this afternoon (Friday).

The first match will begin at 3pm Bangladesh time at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

BTV, GTV and Maasranga channels will telecast the match live.

The remaining matches of the series will take place on July 28 and 31 at the same venue.

Tamim Iqbal, the left-arm opening batsman, is leading the Tigers in this series in the absence of regular captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Along with Mashrafe, Bangladesh will miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das well as they are on leave due to personal reasons.

Bangladesh played 45 ODIs against the islanders till the date and won seven of them while lost 36, and two of them ended with no-result. Bangladesh played six matches against Sri Lanka at R Premadasa and lost all of them. However, Bangladesh are not looking to the previous stats as Tamim said they are thinking of just winning the series. He also said they are not poking their nose to other things before the series.

Probable playing XI of Bangladesh in the first match: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain.

risingbd/Dhaka/July 26, 2019/Mukul