Bangladesh will be hosting
Sri Lanka for two World Test Championship (WTC) matches in Sylhet and Chattogram during March. The Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka is expected to host the Australian women’s team during this period and as a result, it will be the first time that Bangladesh will not play a match in a Test series at this stadium. The two teams have a big rivalry with each other and they have a lot of scores to settle from the ODI World Cup.
Sri Lanka will arrive in the capital city of Dhaka on March 1, the same day as the BPL final, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The Lankan Lions will face the Bangla Tigers for three T20Is in Sylhet on March 4, 6 and 9. The first two matches are scheduled to start from 6:00 pm local time, while the third game is from 3:00 pm.
Following the three T20Is, the teams will move to Chattogram to play a three-match ODI series on March 13,15 and 18. The first two ODIs will be day-night encounters whereas the third ODI will be a morning start at 10:00 am local.
The two teams will return to Sylhet for the first Test from March 22, and then head back to Chattogram for the second Test from March 30. The tour will take place during the month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from the early hours till dusk. Last year too, Bangladesh played three T20Is and a Test against Ireland during Ramadan. Bangladesh recently played a two-match Test series against New Zealand in December 2023 which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and it was a controversial encounter because of the timed-out controversy involving Bangladesh skipper Shakib-al-Hasan and Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews. Their rivalry goes back to the Nidahas Trophy in 2018 which was a tri-series involving India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The Rivalry Between Sri Lanka And Bangladesh
The Nidahas trophy encounter between the two sides saw Bangladesh emerging victorious and mocking Sri Lanka with a ‘Snake Dance’ celebration. In response, when India defeated Bangladesh in the finals, Sri Lankan fans did the same celebration to mock the Bangladesh players and since then these two teams had some sort of bad blood between them.
Cricket is a game that involves a lot of fierce competition and with fierce competition comes rivalry. Be it Australia and England, India and Pakistan or Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the rivalries have always created extra hype and had some of the best and most entertaining matches of all time. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also produced some of the most controversial and dramatic matches in the sport’s history and fans will be expecting the same from the upcoming series.
The multi-format battle between the two rivals is expected to commence on March 4 and will conclude at the end of the month. Currently, Sri Lanka is facing Afghanistan in a one-off Test match and is playing some good cricket. The Sri Lankan cricket team is in a revival stage and is working hard to get back in form.
