New Delhi: Sri Lankan Lions will be taking the field against the Bangladeshi Tigers on Monday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with only one thing in their mind, i.e., to keep their faint hopes of semi-finals qualification alive.
On the other hand, it will be a battle of pride for the ninth place Bangladesh, who will be looking to win this to keep their Champions Trophy qualification hopes alive.
The result of Monday’s match is not going to have any big significance on the points table unless Sri Lanka manages to get a 300+ margin victory. In that case, things will heat up for other teams, too.
#Bangladesh will look to spoil the qualification chances of their Asian rivals #SriLanka
Will we see the #NaaginDance celebration make a comeback in the Indian capital?
Tune-in to #BANvSL in #WorldCupOnStar
Today, 12:30 PM | Star Sports Network#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/R9mb905x9i— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 6, 2023
Journey so far
The start of the campaign of both the teams was very different as Bangladesh got their first win in their first match itself, meanwhile, Sri Lanka had to wait for their fourth match to register their first win.
Bangladesh started their journey with a comfortable 6 wickets win over the Afghanistan team but went on to lose 6 games in a row to England, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Netherlands and Pakistan by 137 runs, 8 wickets, 7 wickets, 149 runs, 87 runs and 7 wickets respectively.
Bangladeshi Tigers was also the first team to be officially eliminated from the final four race. However, they still have 2 matches left, which they would have to win in order to get the Champions Trophy 2025 qualification and at least take something positive out of this tournament.
Pakistan Comfortably defeated Bangladesh by 7 wkts while chasing 205 runs. They completed the chase in the 33rd over and the runrate is now better. Meanwhile, Bangladesh is the first team to get eliminated from the World Cup. Congrats Pakistan♥️🔥#PAKvsBAN #BabarAzam𓃵 pic.twitter.com/dSeEnX49fM
— Muhammad Rayham🇵🇰🏏| BA56/Bestie’s Bdy Month🎂🎊 (@56rayham) October 31, 2023
The last time the World Cup was held in India, the Lankan Lions played the finals against the eventual winners, India, and were supposed to perform well in this edition of the World Cup, too, given they will have familiar playing conditions.
But, the reality was different in its entirety. It took Sri Lanka 4 matches to get their first win, and just when everyone thought they were becoming a potential threat to other teams, they once again dropped the baton and lost two games in a row. They were even all-out on just 55 against the hosts India in their last match.
India’s victory march continues! The winning margins showcase #TeamIndia‘s dominance in the #CWC2023. This match will be remembered for the class of bowling displayed by the pace trio of #Bumrah, #Shami & Siraj to get Sri Lanka all out in just 55 runs. #INDvsSL @BCCI pic.twitter.com/02XWsvkgT1
— Parimal Nathwani (@mpparimal) November 2, 2023
Their recent performance has been so disappointing that the Sri Lankan sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, sacked the entire Sri Lankan Cricket Board on Monday. He also announced Arjun Ranatunga as the interim head.
Sri Lanka Cricket Board Suspended: Sri Lanka Sports Minister has appointed an Interim Committee for SLC with 1996 World Cup winning Captain Arjuna Ranatunga as Chairman with effect from today pic.twitter.com/iyGH1IOTKw
— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) November 6, 2023
Monday’s match has become that much more important for the team as this time they will not be playing for only points, but for pride also.
Head to Head records
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have locked horns against each other 53 times in ODI cricket, in which Sri Lanka has won 42 while Bangladesh has managed to win 9, two matches ended in no-contest.
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh records in ICC Cricket World Cups.#CWC23 #ICCWorldCup #LionsRoar #TeamBatsman #SLCricket #FONO #SLvsBAN pic.twitter.com/XaVlhqdBIh
— Batsman.com (@batsmanlive) November 6, 2023
However, the Bangladeshi Tigers are yet to register their first win against the islanders as they are 0 to 3 against them in 4 matches of the World Cups so far, one ended in no-contest.
