'311 not beyond us'

On paper it may seem that Sri Lanka scoring 311 and then the match being abandoned was a lucky break for Bangladesh as they come to Colombo secure in the knowledge that at worst, they will have a drawn ODI series to go with a historic drawn Test series on the tour of Sri Lanka.

And if you are of a cynical leaning, the team's cheery mood at their hotel yesterday before they departed Dambulla towards Colombo may be read as relief that they did not have to undergo a difficult chase.

Most of the players, however, seemed a little sorry that the match on Tuesday was washed out. Taskin Ahmed said that not being able to complete the match and win took a little gloss off his achievement in becoming the fifth Bangladeshi to take an ODI hattrick. Many of the others were of a similar view, with the general sentiment being that if the match was allowed to be completed, it would have been a good contest.

"I can tell you, yesterday's [Tuesday's] pitch was the same as the one we played the practice match on," said skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza during an informal chat with reporters at the team hotel yesterday morning. In the practice match on March 22 against a Sri Lanka Board President's XI at the Colombo Cricket Club ground, Bangladesh conceded 354 runs but nearly chased down that total, finishing on 352.

"No, we did not think that we could not chase 311 on that pitch. It would have been a close match, but we believed we could do it. Of course, if we lost wickets it would have been a different matter. We conceded 350 in Colombo, and we did not have Shakib [Al Hasan] or Mustafizur [Rahman], but we almost chased that," added Mashrafe.

And he would know. He bowled on that pitch in Colombo and was the main reason Bangladesh got so close in that chase, hitting a 35-ball 58 with four fours and as many sixes.

Someone else beside Mustafizur and Shakib missed that match – Bangladesh's batsman in red hot form, Tamim Iqbal. As Tamim made his way from checkout to the restaurant for breakfast, he echoed Mashrafe's views.

"To say we were robbed of a win would be a mistake," Tamim smiled in reply to a leading question. "But I can say that it would have been a good match."

So if you are of an optimistic bent, you can read the positive vibe as the players knowing, not for certain perhaps, that they can handle Sri Lanka's best shot. Either way, we will not know until the third ODI on April 1.