Shafiul returns after 3 years as Bangladesh bowls in 1st ODI against SL

Fast bowler Shafiul Islam returns to national team after three years as Bangladesh bowls first against Sri Lanka in three-match ODI series opener at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and didn’t hesitate to bat first as his side is eying to give their fast bowler Lasith Malinga a fitting farewell.

Malinga earlier announced this match would be his last ODI. He will not play the rest of the two matches.

Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain were the players who weren’t the part of Bangladesh’s last ODI, a World Cup match against Pakistan.

Apart from Shafiul, the rest of the three players however played some matches in World Cup.

Shafiul indeed played his last ODI against England in October 2016.

Line Ups: Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Kusal Perera (wicket-keeper), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga.

Umpires: Nitin Menon, India; Rabeendra Wimalasiri, Sri Lanka.

TV Umpire: Marais Erasmus, South Africa. Match Referee: Chris Broad, England.