Bangladesh is determined to rebound in the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday (6 March) in Sylhet.
The hosts fought fiercely until the last over in the first match but narrowly lost by a mere margin of 3 runs. They now require a victory to stay in contention for clinching the series, with the final match scheduled for 9 March.
Bangladesh has managed to win only one T20I while chasing a target of 200 or more, and that solitary win came against Sri Lanka back in 2018. In the opening match of the ongoing series, the Tigers needed to chase down 207 runs for victory, but faltered despite important half-centuries from Mahmudullah Riyad and Jaker Ali.
While Mahmudullah returned to the T20I squad after an absence of more than one and a half years, it marked Jaker's first appearance with the senior side.
However, Bangladesh found themselves in dire straits after Mahmudullah's dismissal. Jaker, alongside Mahedi Hasan, attempted to lead the hosts with a resilient partnership, but ultimately fell short in guiding the team to victory.
Despite the setback, Jaker demonstrated the mettle that Bangladesh required in the shorter format of the game. Meanwhile, Mahmudullah showcased that he still has ample cricketing prowess.
“(We will think about) how we can win the next match,” Jaker said after the first encounter. “I believe we can draw several positives from this match. If we jot down our gains on paper, there will be many takeaways.”
In the second match of the series, Bangladesh must address their bowling shortcomings. The Bangladeshi pacers struggled to contain Sri Lanka's scoring rate, conceding at least 10 runs per over, thereby posing a daunting challenge for the batters
