That today's game has the potential to decide Bangladesh's fate in the World Cup is a fact that is quite well known. Many of Bangladesh's players believe that they have a higher chance of beating Sri Lanka as opposed to England or New Zealand and want to make the most of the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

While that is of course the team target, coach Chandika Hathurusingha could possibly have an additional sense of encouragement.

The 46-year-old was Sri Lanka's assistant coach for a year and was let go in June 2010 due to disciplinary issues. Despite that he had a great relation with a number of Lankan players. After Hathurusingha's departure, Kumar Sangakkara, through a letter, lauded the coach's 'no nonsense approach' and stated that he had made 'an amazing contribution to the team'.

There are many who believe that Hathurusingha's knowledge about the Sri Lankan outfit could prove to be advantageous for Bangladesh and one of them is skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

"There's no doubt about that. Our coach has a vast knowledge about this Sri Lankan team and it will help us a lot. Say if a batsman has a weakness against the yorker, it will be a good thing if the bowler knows that. It is important to focus on these issues but we should mainly depend on our own strengths," explained Mashrafe.

Hathurusingha is known for his aggressive approach. In a home series against India last year he reportedly managed to convince the team management to create pitches that provided swing and bounce; rarely seen in Bangladesh. That led to the Indian batsmen crumbling for some of their lowest scores. The Tigers, who were going through a bad patch back then, however, struggled to capitalise.

While Mashrafe, during the press conference, reiterated the importance of focusing on one's own strengths, there's no doubt that Hathurusingha's inputs will be crucial if the Tigers want to get rid of the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara early in the innings.