Asia Cup 2018: Match 1, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka – Statistical Preview

Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the opening game of the 2018 Asia Cup in UAE, which is hosting the premier tournament of the Asian teams for the first time in 23 years. From being considered as underdogs, Bangladesh now stands as a serious contender to win the title due to their recent efforts in the ODI format. Sri Lanka, the 2nd most successful team in the history of the tournament, are far from their past and need to work hard to make it to the Super 4s facing Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

All the key stats and numbers ahead of the Asia Cup 2018 opener between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka:

3-2 – Sri Lanka won three of the six ODI matches they played against Bangladesh since the start of 2017. The Bangla Tigers won two of the remaining three while another game ended without a result.

3 – Tamim Iqbal has scored fifties in each of his previous three ODI outings. During the ODI series in the Caribbean, the left-handed opener scored 130*, 54 and 103 respectively. Only on two occasions in the past, a Bangladesh player has managed to score fifty-plus in four and more consecutive ODI innings. Tamim Iqbal hit five fifty-plus scores in a succession in 2012 and four in a row in 2015.

5 – Bangladesh have lost each of their last five 50-overs format matches in the Asia Cup. They lost all the four games during the 2014 edition after losing the final of 2012 to Pakistan. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have won all the five matches they played in that edition to win the title.

74.06 – Tamim Iqbal has a batting average of 74.06 in ODI cricket since the start of 2017. He has scored 1185 runs in the 19 innings since the start of 2017 with four centuries and eight fifties. Only Virat Kohli (88.36) and Fakhar Zaman (76.07) have better ODI averages in this period.

957 – Danushka Gunathilaka has scored 957 runs in the 32 innings in the ODI format thus far. If he scores 43 more runs in the next two innings, he will be one of the eight Sri Lankans to complete 1000 ODI runs in fewer than 35 innings.

1995 – Bangladesh will be playing an International game in the United Arab Emirates for the first time since 1995. The Bangla team has featured in five ODI matches in this country across 1990 and 1995 all of them in the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium.

2957 – Runs Thisara Perera has amassed in his International career thus far. The all-rounder needs 43 more runs to become the 3rd Sri Lankan after Chaminda Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya to score 3000 International runs and bag 200 wickets in International cricket.

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