Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto said not only the Sri Lanka clash but all the four matches of the group stage are important.
The Tigers are set to begin their campaign in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup taking on former champions Sri Lanka at Grand Prairie Stadium early Saturday morning [BST].
The vibe within and around the Bangladesh team has been positive, despite the fact that the side are coming into the tournament on the back of a series of defeats.
Below-par performance from the top-order batting unit has been a major headache.
Despite the drawbacks, there is a sense of positiveness in the group due to the state of the Sri Lanka side recently.
The Lankans are on the backfoot having lost their first game of the tournament, against South Africa, by six wickets after posting only 77 runs on the board.
And in their first official warm-up match the Island nation had lost by 20 runs to the Netherlands.
“All the four games [in the group stage] are important. We are not looking at this game [against Sri Lanka] in a different way. Rather than thinking of the opponents much, my opinion is to focus on our preparation, plan and execution,” said Shanto to the media in Dallas Thursday.
“This game will be challenging for both the teams [Bangladesh and Sri Lanka] and the best team on the day will win. It is an important fixture for both the sides. For us it would be important to stick to the plans we have drawn and be present, rather than think of the future before it is time,” the left-handed batter added.
Slated in Group D, Bangladesh are in competition with South Africa, the Netherlands and Nepal alongside Sri Lanka.
The two teams finishing top in each group will make it to the Super Eight phase of the tournament.
Speaking of the batting concerns in the top-order comprising Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Shanto himself, the Bangladesh captain is optimistic that they have worked hard and given that it’s a new day – the unit is getting another opportunity to come out from the bad patch.
“It is true that the top-order has been below par recently. But it is a new day tomorrow. Everyone has been working hard in the training sessions to rectify the mistakes. I think everyone is in a good frame of mind at the moment. We shouldn’t think of what has already happened but see at the opportunity that is there tomorrow. We should first look to have a good start and carry the game from there on. I hope the batters will be able to execute the way they have planned and prepared,” said Shanto.