|| Desk Report ||

Chandika Hathurusingha’s Sri Lanka will take Bangladesh on Tuesday in the World Cup. This match is an occasion for Hathurasungha to face off his former charges. Hathurasungha had coached Bangladesh team for three years from 2014-2017 and this the period in which Bangladesh rose as a cricketing giant.

Hathuru knows Bangladesh team ins and out other than anyone else because most of the players in Bangladesh’s World Cup squad were nursed by him. And therefore he knows about Bangladesh’s strengths and weaknesses. So, he will be eager to take down the Tigers with his vast knowledge about them.

Chandika Hathurusingha took the job of Sri Lankan cricket team head coach in 2017 before his contract with BCB came to an. It was a shocking moment for everyone. After that, under his guidance Sri Lanka played against Bangladesh three times so far--in Tri-nation series in Bangladesh, Asia Cup and Nidahas trophy.  He has tasted both defeat and glory in those matches against Bangladesh.  

In the tri-nation series in Bangladesh Hathuru’s team lost by 163 runs against Bangladesh in their first meeting. But he won against the Tigers in the second match and in the final.

But in Asia Cup Sri Lanka lost against Bangladesh by 137 runs, in that match, Mushfiqur Rahim scored a tremendous century and Tamim showed his bravery to the whole world by batting one-handed after being injured.

In Nidahas trophy Bangladesh won against Sri Lanka with the help of a magical inning from Mahmudullah. Although it was a T20 tournament. After 2017 Bangladesh have faced Sri Lanka 4 times in the ODI’s and they both have won two matches each in that period.

But in most recent times Bangladesh is more successful than Sri Lanka. Bangladesh have won their last three matches against Sri Lanka. Two of them were T20 internationals in the Nidahas trophy and one was in the 2018-2019 Asia Cup. Bangladesh won by 5 wickets and 2 wickets respectively in the last two matches and won by 137 runs in Asia Cup.

In 2015 World Cup Bangladesh also faced Sri Lanka, that time Hathurusingha was the coach of Bangladesh. In that match, Sri Lanka blew away Bangladesh with two scintillating centuries from Tilkaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara. 

But Hathuru knows this time it's not going to be that easy because Sri Lanka are going through a transition period following the retirement of their veteran players like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tilkaratne Dilshan, Muttiah Muralidharan. And on the other side, Bangladesh is participating in this World Cup with their greatest squad of all time.