Bangladesh aim to put collapse behind them and challenge Sri Lanka

The only way from here is up. Just a bad day at the office. A freak occurrence. The only important result is the next one.

These are probably some of the self-soothing platitudes those in the Bangladesh camp might be telling themselves after their calamitous display with the bat in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. Seven wickets for five runs, from 100 for 1 to 105 for 8 - a simple fact that there is no hiding from. But for that self-soothing to truly take effect, they might need to pick themselves off the mat, take a cold and hard look at their performance, and maybe understand that there was more good than bad.

Or rather, understand that on most days, the bad will never be quite as bad. After all, they had restricted a fairly robust Sri Lanka batting line-up to just 244 - a score that needed yet another rescue act from captain cool Charith Asalanka to attain, and one that seemed at least 40 runs below par. Then with the bat, Tanzid Hasan, during his 61-ball 62, made the surface look what it was: a bit sticky but any demons firmly in slumber.

In truth, this was simply something that happens in sport every once so often, where one team performs at a level well above average, and another plunges to new depths of mediocrity; Sri Lanka were electric in the field, while some Bangladesh batters missed straight deliveries. That is the barebones reality.

So while Bangladesh might do well not to dwell too much on their performance, Sri Lanka would do similarly well not to get carried away. The emphatic nature of the end result obscured some less-than-illustrious batting from the top order, while their bowling - particularly from the seamers - lacked the menace and tenacity of their Bangladesh counterparts.

Sri Lanka may also wonder why the promised seamer- and-batter-friendly surface in Colombo never transpired. They had stacked their side with three seamers, but by the end of the game, both of Kamindu Mendis' arms were getting more of a workout than any of Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando or Eshan Malinga.

Bangladesh, too, had opted for three seamers, and it will be interesting to see if both sides persevere with that strategy. But in any eventuality, a reversion to the mean for one - or both - of these sides, might mean that the second ODI on Saturday might just end up being the close contest the first had promised for long periods, before veering off the rails so dramatically.

Sri Lanka WWWWL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLLL

On the fourth ball Kamindu Mendis faced in the first ODI on Wednesday, he looked to drive Taskin Ahmed on the up, only to end up chipping a simple catch to mid-off. Fast forward a few hours, and off the fourth delivery he bowled, Kamindu snuck one through Towhid Hridoy's defences before proceeding to grab two more wickets to instigate Bangladesh's collapse. Those three wickets also came courtesy both arms, and considering the action he was imparting on the ball, it seems Kamindu has been working on his bowling a little more as of late. In a format where versatility is so crucial, Kamindu's increasing ability to impact in every area of the game could prove invaluable.

During his knock of 51 from 64 balls, with just the tail for company, Jaker Ali may have, for a fleeting moment, thought about achieving an impossible chase. In the end, he fell short, but for the hour or so that he was out in the middle, Sri Lanka - despite being so close to victory - couldn't rest easy. But in taking on the bowling as comfortably as he did, Jaker once again showcased his ability to take hold of a game regardless of match state. For Bangladesh, the goal now should be to give him a platform to not just pull the side out of the mire, but also propel their innings to the types of totals modern ODIs demand.

Sri Lanka are likely to go with same XI, though Dunith Wellalage could come in for Milan Rathnayake if the pitch looks to support spin similar to the first game.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Nishan Madushka, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Milan Rathnayake/Dunith Wellalage, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Eshan Malinga, 11 Asitha Fernando

Rishad Hossain missed the first ODI with fever, and could be back in contention. If so, he might replace Tanvir Islam, who seemed to be struggling with his calf.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Litton Das (wk), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanvir Islam/Rishad Hossain, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Periods of rain are anticipated across the day, so we could expect some stoppages. As for the pitch, after an early period where Bangladesh's seamers prospered in the first ODI, by the end, it had begun to revert to a more traditional Khettarama surface - though it was still far from being unplayable. However, there seems to be a concerted effort to make surfaces more batting-friendly, so batting first could once more seem to the play.

Stats and trivia

• Of Asalanka's five ODI hundreds, four have required him to come out to bat inside the first 15 overs.
• Sri Lanka have never lost to Bangladesh in 11 ODIs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
• Wanindu Hasaranga is one run away from 1000 in ODIs. Whenever he scores that, he'll become the 11th Sri Lankan to achieve the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the format, having got to the latter landmark in the first ODI.
• Taskin Ahmed's 26 wickets are the most by an active bowler in ODIs between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. That is also the third-highest after Lasith Malinga (27) and Muthiah Muralidaran (31).

"We were building a good partnership. We were a bit unfortunate because they took a brilliant catch, and then the run-out happened. That was a turning point. If we could have added 30-40 more runs, the match would have been much easier."
Bangladesh batter Tanzid Hasan looks back on the first ODI