SL vs BAN: 'Time To Show The Class': Mahela Jayawardene's Message To Sri Lankan Players Amid Verbal War With Bangladesh

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are in danger of being eliminated from the 2022 Asia Cup. They will square off against each other in what will be an elimination game, with the losing team having already lost their tournament opener to Afghanistan. However, the sides have engaged in a verbal battle before of the pivotal games.

Mahela Jayawardene, a former captain of Sri Lanka, has spoken about the current situation. He posted the video of Mahmud’s statement and urged the Lankan team to conduct themselves with dignity.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka slammed Bangladesh, saying the squad is an. “easier opponent” than Afghanistan, which has “no world-class bowlers” other than skipper Shakib al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.

“Afghanistan’s bowling attack is world-class.” We know Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] bowls well. Shakib [al Hasan] is an elite bowler. Apart from them, the team lacks a world-class bowler. So, in comparison to Afghanistan, Bangladesh is a less difficult opponent,” Shanaka stated during a press conference.

I don’t know why Dasun made that comment: Khaled Mahmud

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud was not pleased with the statement. When asked about Shanaka’s remark during a press conference, Mahmud said that if Bangladesh has only two world-class bowlers, Sri Lanka has none.

“I am not sure why Dasun said that. Afghanistan undoubtedly has a stronger team. He claimed we only have two bowlers, but I do not see any bowlers in Sri Lanka. At the very least, Bangladesh possesses world-class bowlers such as Mustafiz and Shakib. That they do not even have. It is not about the words themselves. “It is all about how you play the game,” Mahmud explained.

 Mahela Jayawardene has jumped into the ongoing episode:

Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has entered the fray. He retweeted a video clip of Mahmud’s statement, urging the Sri Lankan team to demonstrate class.

Looks like it’s time for @OfficialSLC bowlers to show the class and batters to show who they are on the field..??#AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/txWm7wH4nC

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) August 31, 2022

“Looks like it’s time for @OfficialSLC bowlers to show the class and batters to show who they are on the field,” Jayawardene tweeted.

While Sri Lanka lost their first game to Afghanistan by eight wickets, Bangladesh too succumbed to Mohammad Nabi’s army of spinners.

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