Bangladesh will be desperate to put behind the batting woes in their first game of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The Tigers in a Group D fixture will take on former champions Sri Lanka at Grand Prairie Stadium Saturday at 6:30am BST.
Bangladesh till date have faced Sri Lanka twice in the world T20 events and lost on both occasions.
Despite the record and the fact that the side have been in a losing streak recently, the vibe is positive both in the Bangladesh tent and in general.
A major fact is that Sri Lanka are on the backfoot after losing their first match of the tournament, against South Africa, by six wickets after posting only 77 runs on the board.
And in their first official warm-up game, the island nation had lost by 20 runs to the Netherlands.
Chief of the national selection panel Gazi Ashraf Hossain while interacting with the media in Dallas Wednesday sounded cautious in not stating any comment that would hamper the morale of the team.
Bangladesh are heading into the 20-nation tournament on the back of a shocking 2-1 series defeat against a lower ranked USA team and also a below par performance in the lone warm-up match against former champions India.
And following the media session, the former Bangladesh captain urged to possibly avoid discussions that would damage the confidence of the team who are about to start their campaign in a world event.
Bangladesh in Dallas had full team practice in the last two days, the first at Mustangs Cricket Academy and then at Grand Prairie Stadium Wednesday.
The men in red and green have been struggling with the batting unit and the efforts of the team think tank on getting the batters to shape up was clearly evident in the two practice sessions.
Top-order batters in particular Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar and captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto have been getting the extra attention.
At the Grand Prairie Wednesday, recently appointed spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed was seen busy with the spin unit, hinting that Bangladesh are expecting the wicket to offer turns.
When asked on the concerns related to top-order batting, Ashraf said: “I don’t want to speak on any such matter which will demoralize the team. Our ambition now is to keep the team motivated and in the best shape possible. We want to forget what has happened in the recent past and focus on things that are needed to be done in order to keep us alive in the tournament.”
Concerns with the pacers remain as Shoriful Islam is out of Bangladesh’s tournament opener.
The left-arm pacer received six stitches in the webbing of his hand after he was taken to the hospital following an injury sustained during the warm-up game against India.
Thus, chances are high for right-arm seamer-allrounder Tanzim Hasan Sakib to make his way into the XI.
Vice-captain and right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed has been recovering well from the rib injury and will be available for Bangladesh in the crucial tie.
A win against the Lankans will make the path of making it into the second round easy for Bangladesh.
Slated in Group D, Bangladesh are alongside South Africa, the Netherlands and Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
The two teams finishing top in each group will advance to the Super Eight phase of the tournament.
Bangladesh [probable XI]
Liton Das, Tanzid Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman
