Both teams which failed to live up to potential in earlier games, forced to take pollution in their stride
Chandika Hathurusingha
It will be a clash between two struggling Asian teams that have played well below their potential in this World Cup.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were expected to do much better here today as the tournament is being held in their neighborhood and they are well-versed in the conditions. Though both are out of the semi-final race, they have something to play for, the most important being a top-eight finish that will earn them a place in the 2025 Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan.
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When a team have lost six games on the trot, it sounds pretty hollow when they claim that they will play the remaining matches to restore some pride. Bangladesh are languishing in ninth position, just a spot above the bottom-placed England, with their sole win coming in their opening game against Afghanistan in
Dharamshala. In the past, they have done much better, and in the 2015 World Cup, they even made it to the quarter-finals where they lost to India. But, of late their cricket has hit the nadir with veteran players Shakib al Hasan and Mustafiqur Rahim only a pale shadow of themselves. They ought to have been the guiding light but their battles with personal form have not helped the team’s cause.
On Monday at the Kotla, they will be up against Sri Lanka who have managed only two wins in seven matches and are in seventh spot. Sri Lanka have had issues with the form and fitness of the key players and barring their wins over the Netherlands and England, they have struggled against all teams. Their worst performance came in the previous game against India where they were shot out for a mere 55 to lose the game by 302 runs. It was a repeat of the Asia Cup final in Colombo where they were cleaned up for 50. Sri Lanka will be taking the scars of those matches into today’s game and will need resilience to put behind those episodes and begin afresh.
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha told the media that the Champions Trophy qualification is a huge motivation. ‘’Both teams are in a really similar situation because we have lost the opportunity to get into the semi-finals. But still, the Champions Trophy [qualification] is up for grabs so we need to finish as high as possible. So, this game has a big impact (reward) for finishing higher."
Though the polluted air remains a major concern in the National Capital, the Bangladesh coach said that the team is happy with the playing conditions at the Kotla. Hathurusingha said: “Air quality is affecting both teams. And it's not ideal, but we have no choice. We have to play in the condition in front of us. But the pitch and the ground look immaculate. I think one of the best pitches that we're probably going to play this World Cup.”
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