Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood didn’t mind about the tough rivalry between his side and Bangladesh which often crossed the limits.
Relations between the players of the two sides haven’t been cordial since 2018 when a Bangladesh’s ‘nagin dance’ issue earned the wrath of the Sri Lankan players. The situation took further nosedive when Shakib Al Hasan inflicted a ‘timed out’ dismissal on Angelo Mathews, which Sri Lanka said was against the spirit of the game.
The Lankan players however brought out the ‘timed out’ celebration after winning the T20I series by 2-1 but the celebration this time earned Bangladesh players’ ire, a thing which Tigers captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hinted saying that the Lankan players should move on from this incident because Bangladesh inflicted the dismissal within the law of the cricket.
It is believed that the ‘timed out’ incident will loom large on ODI series also which will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
“The rivalry is obviously great. I think we need good competition. And as I said about the T20, it was two good sides and we're going to play some competitive cricket. I expect exactly the same again in this tournament, in this series. So that's what I'll be looking for, some strong cricket being played. And obviously both teams will be looking for the same, I should imagine,” Sri Lanka head coach Silverwood said in Chattogram.
The coach however believes the T20 series victory had given them the momentum which they are keen to carry in the ODI series.
“Obviously, we're going to take the series very seriously, as I'm sure both teams will. We're in a new cycle now, so we're again building towards a style of brand of cricket that we want to play in the next World Cup. And that's something that we're trying to invent within the team, and this again is part of that process of doing that. So that's exactly what we're trying to do,” he said.
“We're trying to continue the momentum that we've had from the series at home as well in Sri Lanka, where we played some fantastic cricket. And I'll be encouraging the guys to go out and do the same thing. So, the batsmen will have to score big runs individually and as a team to put those big scores on the scoreboard. And we're asking the bowlers to keep producing their skills and keep getting better and better.”