Sri Lanka opt to bat first against Bangladesh
February 26, 2015 09:50 am
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and sent his team in to bat first against Mashrafe Mortaza led Bangladesh in their ODI World Cup clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Mathews may have been mindful of India’s big win over South Africa in the last match at the ground when India put 300 on the board before the Proteas struggled in the evening when replying on what they described as a “two-paced” wicket.
Sri Lanka suffered a blow in the lead-up to the Pool A match with the loss of all-rounder Jeevan Mendis, who has returned home with a hamstring injury.
Batsman Dinesh Chandimal replaces him in the team.
Bangladesh went with the same team that defeated Afghanistan in their tournament opener.
The MCG’s drop-in pitch is likely to offer batsman-friendly conditions on a warm, sunny day.
Teams:
Bangladesh - Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain
Sri Lanka - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal.
