Sabbir, Mahmudullah in the line of fire?

With Mushfiq letting go the keeping duties, Liton Kumar Das, the only other keeper in the squad, will take up the gloves. And if Mushfiq does bat at No 4, then Mahmudullah is likely to come in at No 6 while Sabbir Rahman will lose his place in the side. To add to that, Mahmudullah, who is not in the best of form of late, having scored just a fifty in his last 10 innings, might also be axed. Either way, Bangladesh will have to take a tough decision whilst tinkering with their settled batting order. Visiting Bangladesh team are all set to start their Lankan mission on Thursday with the lone two-day warm up match against Sri Lanka Board XI. However, rain has been a big issue as the visiting side were unable to practice outdoors last Tuesday. As a result, the Tigers had to spend time in the gym. Earlier Tuesday, there was a joint press conference between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh where Mushfiq stated that this is perhaps Bangladesh’s best chance to beat the Lankans. [caption id="attachment_49808" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Bangladesh's Sabbir Rahman congratulates teammate Mahmudullah after his half century on the fifth day of their solo Test match against India at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on February 13, 2017 AFP[/caption] “This is our best opportunity to beat Sri Lanka but we also have to remember that they whitewashed Australia here last year,” said Mushfiq. Hathurusingha informed that Bangladesh are emerging as a team, similar to Sri Lanka’s rise in the 1990s. The former Sri Lankan cricketer also said he will get the chance to meet his mother during the tour. “I am happy that we are touring Sri Lanka. It gives me an opportunity to see my mother. I have got a lot of support over the years and a lot of motivation as well,” said Hathurusingha. “When I was playing for Sri Lanka, we were in a similar scenario like Bangladesh. We went through a steep learning process and it all changed for us in the mid 1990s. I would say Bangladesh are in a similar position at the moment,” he added. On the other hand, Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford stated that he is expecting a competitive series against Bangladesh. “We had Bangladesh in Sri Lanka in 2013 and it was very competitive. We were fortunate to get over the line on that occasion. They have a few players who were a part of that squad still playing for Bangladesh and this will be another competitive series,” said Ford. Lankan captain Rangana Herath praised Hathurusingha and informed that this Bangladesh team is the best that have ever toured Sri Lanka. “I would say the way Hathurusingha thinks about the game has helped me too. With so many Sri Lankans in their camp, they have a good idea about our team and game. I would say this is the best team from Bangladesh that has come here. They beat England as well a few months ago, but their recent form is not that great with defeats to New Zealand and India,” Herath said.