Bangladesh to play Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series at home starting May 23

Bangladesh are all set to play three ODIs against Sri Lanka at home at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. All the games are Day-Night fixtures and will be played on Sunday, May 23, Tuesday, May 25 and Friday, May 28 respectively. It’s the second ODI series for the hosts in 2021 after their 3-0 victory over the West Indies back in the month of January.

It’s also ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal’s second assignment as the Tigers’ skipper in Bangladesh after the legendary Mashrafe Mortaza stepped down last year. A couple of months ago, his team was whitewashed in New Zealand. Tamim also showed a bit of captaincy prowess while leading the Fortune Barishal in the inaugural edition of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup last year.

It’s pertinent to note that Bangladesh are yet to win a game since January. Recently, the Test team, led by Mominul Haque Showrabh, lost the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. After putting up a strong performance with the bat in the first test, the visitors crumbled in the second, losing by a mammoth margin of 209 runs.

Sri Lanka will play 3 ODI's vs Bangladesh on the 23rd, 25th and 28th May at the SBNCS Dhaka. All games being DN.

— Roshan Abeysinghe (@RoshanCricket) May 5, 2021

Shakib, Mustafizur doubtful for Bangladesh’s home ODIs

In the meantime, there are doubts over the participation of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. Even as Shakib played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mustafizur played for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. The duo won’t be having the chance of preparing for the series as they will have to go through the 14-day quarantines after returning from India.

Bangladesh Cricket Board was in talks with the country’s Directorate General of Health Services officials regarding the relaxation of their quarantines. The DGHS also received an application from the BCB regarding the same. However, Professor Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, director-general of DGHS, said that the quarantine for both cricketers is mandatory.

“They will have to do 14-day institutional quarantine. BCB had applied to us for them (reducing the quarantine period) but we have informed them that they don’t have any other choice but to follow the rule that is applicable for everyone. They have to complete the quarantine in our specified quarantine center and that can be either Hotel Sonargaon or Hotel Raddison,” he said.