Asia Cup 2016, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Players to watch out for

Mustafizur Rahman and Lasith Malinga will look to make the difference for their sides respectively.

New Delhi: Hosts Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the 2016 Asia Cup Match No. 5 on Sunday at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur in Dhaka.

Bangladesh have won one and lost the same number of matches so far in the ongoing mega tournament. Sri Lanka on the other hand have played a solitary match and beat UAE in the process. This will be a big test for supremacy and the hosts will need a victory in order to keep their chances alive to go far.

The Tigers have been a formidable force at home, but their batting has been below par in fast bowling assistance pitch in Dhaka. Same can be said about the batting of the Lankans, who looked ordinary against UAE. Both sides have a good bowling unit and the battle will focus on that section given their underlying strengths.

Sunday will see a lot of Bangladeshi fans cheering for their side and that can be a helpful factor for the hosts. Batting will not be easy and that's where the sides need to focus in order to apply themselves well and also respect the bowlers and conditions.

Here is one player to watch out for from each side ahead of the fifth T20I in Dhaka.

Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh): The fearless youngster will look to be the thorn for the Lankan batting. The 20-year-old found it tough against India, but got back his shape against UAE. This time it will be no different. Mustafizur's ability to mix up the deliveries alongside his ability to hit consistency, will be important for Bangladesh. Mustafizur will hope to be confident and produce a fine spell. The left-arm pacer holds the key for the Tigers upfront. He will be hoping to get early wickets and fulfill the role like that of Ashish Nehra or Mohammad Amir in the Indian and Pakistan side respectively.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka): Malinga is a world class bowler in the shortest format and showed his brilliance with the ball against UAE. The skipper picked four wickets against the minnows and did what he does best in focussing on bowling full and straight. Malinga's ability to bowl those toe-crushing yorkers will keep the Bangladesh batsman guessing. Malinga will look to get crucial key wickets upfront and use the conditions wisely. A lot will depend on him in order to propel the others in order to chip in as well and a fine start could serve that purpose.