Bangladesh is set to begin their three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, looking to leave behind the disappointment of their recent Test series defeat. The match starts at 3 PM and marks Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s debut as the permanent ODI captain, having replaced Najmul Hossain Shanto for the next year.
Bangladesh lost the preceding Test series 1-0, suffering an innings and 78-run defeat in the final match after drawing the first Test. Despite their poor Test performance and historically weak ODI record against Sri Lanka—winning only 12 out of 57 matches—Miraz remains optimistic, stating that ODIs are a “different ball game.”
The team has not won any of their last six ODIs on Sri Lankan soil, with their last series there in 2019 ending in a 3-0 sweep by Sri Lanka. However, Bangladesh has won three of their last five ODI encounters against Sri Lanka overall. The squad sees several changes from the Champions Trophy, including the return of pacer Taskin Ahmed and batsmen Naim Sheikh, Liton Das, and Shamim Patwari, while veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad have retired. Soumya Sarkar and Nasum Ahmed were dropped from the squad.
Bangladesh hopes the fresh lineup, boosted by Taskin’s pace and Miraz’s leadership, will help them start the ODI series strongly and restore confidence after recent setbacks.
