Top-order in focus as Tigers eye to seal series early

Bangladesh will be keen on picking up where they left off in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and bag a victory in today's second ODI against Sri Lanka to emphatically seal the series with a match in hand at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. 

For the Tigers, the form of the top-order, especially the opening batters', would be a concern after a collapse in the third T20I against the visitors in Sylhet saw them lose the T20I series.

Liton Das' last fifty in the ODI format came in the ODI World Cup game against India in Pune and 10 games have passed since then. Soumya Sarkar hit a surreal 169 in New Zealand but consistency is still something he will have to work on.

The Tigers will be hoping to replicate the batters' approach from the first ODI, where they overcame early wickets as the rest of the batting unit pulled up their socks. Skipper Nazmul Hossain Shanto's unbeaten 122 was the highlight but Mahmudullah Riyad's 37 and Mushfiqur Rahim's 73 during a 165-run stand with Shanto were vital to the cause.

Against the swinging ball, batting coach David Hemp brought particular attention to Mahmudullah's application.

"I think the approach that Riyad had – obviously, the ball was swinging, [and] Sri Lanka were targeting the stumps; so, that was a danger ball – but he made a conscious effort to get at the ball. So, if you watched, he changed the length. He came at the bowler. And I think that his approach shifted that emphasis, took a little bit of pressure off Shanto," Hemp said in a video message posted by the BCB yesterday.

Finishing a task was emphasised upon before the start of the series, Hemp informed.

"So, something that we've talked about a lot of the last couple of weeks coming into this series, both the T20 and the ODI series, was about getting the job done. So, if you get yourself in, then finish the job. So, it's simple. But taking that responsibility to get the team over the line. And both those, especially the second partnership, the 165, was obviously a match winning partnership and something that we were sort of making sure that we hold ourselves accountable to," he added.

For the top-order, it would be about countering any threats early. Trusting the game plan was key for Hemp.

"Obviously individual contributions were really good, but for us it was more around the mindset, about staying calm and playing with control, which I thought we did," he said about coming out of the slump after Tigers went down to 23 for three in chase of 256.