To stage a comeback in the competition, Bangladesh needs to make three key adjustments before playing Afghanistan in the fourth round of the Asia Cup 2023.

Following Pakistan’s lopsided victory over Nepal in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2023 competition, spectators had high hopes that the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would be a more competitive and exciting contest. Although this match was not as one-sided as the previous one, Bangladesh’s lack of batting discipline allowed Sri Lanka to win with relative ease, saving a hiccup at the outset and towards the end of the game.

At the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the Tigers won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite their best efforts, they were only able to muster a score of 164. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s impressive performance of 89 runs off 122 balls was primarily responsible for this. The bowling performance of Matheesha Pathirana was outstanding, as he finished with figures of 4/32 in 7.4 overs.

In their reply, Sri Lanka lost their first three wickets for 43 runs, but then Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka put together a partnership that kept their innings on track by scoring 78 runs together. After reaching 121/3, the home team suffered a loss of two wickets for a total of seven runs. In the end, Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka’s captain, were instrumental in achieving their goal with 11 overs to spare and five wickets remaining.

On Sunday, September 3, Bangladesh will play a match against Afghanistan, and in order for them to continue participating in the league, they will need to win that match. The team will be eliminated from contention for the Asia Cup 2023 if they suffer a defeat, turning the final match of the group stage into a meaningless contest between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Let’s take a look at three adjustments that Bangladesh can make to their strategy in order to improve their chances of winning the game that determines their fate.