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Sri Lanka bowl first; Shoriful replaces Taskin in Bangladesh XI

Hasaranga is back after recovering from a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Sep-2025 • 2 hrs ago
Toss Sri Lanka chose to bowl vs Bangladesh
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka chose to bowl in the high-stakes clash against Bangladesh on a fresh pitch in Abu Dhabi. He confirmed that Wanindu Hasaranga, who missed the recent tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury, is fit and back in the XI.
Hasaranga is one of three allrounders in Sri Lanka's XI alongside Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis, and the only attacking spin option, with Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage left out. They picked three specialist fast bowlers, however, in Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara.
Bangladesh picked three quicks too, but made one change to their pace attack from the win over Hong Kong, bringing in Shoriful Islam for Taskin Ahmed. This meant they had two left-arm seamers - Mustafizur Rahman being the other - apart from the right-arm swing of Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and two spin-bowling allrounders in Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain.
Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5, Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Matheesha Pathirana, 11 Nuwan Thushara.
Bangladesh: 1 Litton Das (capt & wk), 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Parvez Hossain Emon, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.