Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh at the Pallekele grounds a short while ago. After defeating Bangladesh emphatically in the first ODI and with the 2nd ODI washed away, Sri Lanka will be looking to seal the deal in the third and the final ODI to be played at Pallekele today.
After a competitive Test series, Sri Lanka blew away the visitor’s challenge in the first ODI courtesy a bludgeoning attack from opener Tilakaratne Dilshan.
Tamim Iqbal too scored a century but was ruled out of the remaining tour due to a hairline fracture on his right thumb. Jahurul Islam replaced the opener in the 2nd ODI but did not get a chance to bat. For the final ODI Bangladesh are most likely to stick with Islam. Bangladesh had also included the 21-year-old all-rounder Mominul Haque in place of Abul Hasan in the 2nd ODI and Haque too would be a part of the playing XI for the third ODI.
The hosts, Sri Lanka, have announced five uncapped players for their only T20 international but for the third ODI Sri Lanka in all likelihood would be playing the same XI they had for the first two ODIs. Tilakaratne Dilshan and Kaushal Perera have proved to be a handy pair at the top of the order for the hosts but for Bangladesh, the form of their top two players, Mohammed Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim will be a worry. Nasir Hossain has continued his good form contributing with the bat in the lower-order and also doing a decent job with the ball. At Pallekele, Sri Lanka have played seven ODIs winning four and losing three whereas Bangladesh will be playing their first game in Pallekele
