PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be eager to shake off modest ODI form and spate of injuries to key players as they seek to start their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note when they face each other here on Thursday.
Sri Lanka, which won the Asia Cup in 2022 in its T20 avatar, could not even announce its squad for this edition till Tuesday, courtesy niggles and COVID-19 infection to a couple of players.
The Lankans lost Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madhushanka to various injuries, while Kusal Perera, who last played an ODI in 2021, is yet to make full recovery from COVID-19 infection. But even before these setbacks, Sri Lanka’s run in the ODIs this year has been sub-par. It started the year with a 0-3 drubbing at the hands of India, and then lost to New Zealand 0-2.