Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Betting Tips 25/05/2021

15:18, 24 May 2021

Senior Author

15:18, 24 May 2021

Zohaib Ahmed is a sports journalist whose profession is to report and edit but whose passion is to predict and bet. He’s been in the industry for more than a decade and has worked/written for various bookmakers/tipsters. His expertise is in cricket, football, MMA, boxing and basketball.

The second of the three-match ODI series between hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be played on May 25 (Tuesday) at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:30pm IST.

Teams Status

Bangladesh

Bangladesh are 1-0 up in the series, thanks to their win in the opening match on Sunday. But more importantly, their unwanted 10-match winless streak is finally over.

Captain Tamim Iqbal is under no illusions and admitted himself that the job was not done but the joy of victory must taste sweet for a side whose last win in any format came way back in January when they defeated West Indies in the 3^rd ODI.

Since then, they were beaten 2-0 by West Indies in the Test series before being clean swept in both the ODI and T20I series on their disastrous tour of New Zealand.

In Sunday’s win, the Tigers were nowhere near perfect but saw a trio of half-centuries as well as an impressive four-for by Mehidy Hasan Miraz – all of which will make their confident of sealing the series on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s track record in 2021 has been almost just as unimpressive as Bangladesh’s. So far this year, they’ve won only two matches, one of which was a T20I win over West Indies in a lost series and another the recent Test win over none other than Bangladesh.

In the series opener, they bowled first and bowled well in the first half of Bangladesh’s innings before a 109-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah marred their good work.

Later, the run chase was never on, even if Wanindu Hasaranga (74 off 60) might disagree. Several Sri Lankan batters did get starts but none, with the exception of Hasaranga, could play a big knock.

It was a combination of Sri Lankan inability and Miraz’s brilliance that saw Bangladesh come out on top. But considering that Sri Lanka are young, naïve and under new leadership, the lost should sting less, even if it was against a lesser side such as Bangladesh.

What do the Sportsbook Say

Brand	Home team name	Away team name
	1.68	2.21
	1.67	2.205
	1.68	2.18

As expected, Bangladesh have again been installed as favourites. 22Bet has Bangladesh available at 1.67 and Sri Lanka at 2.205. Bet365 has Bangladesh at 1.68 and Sri Lanka at 2.21, whereas LeoVegas has Bangladesh at 1.68 and Sri Lanka at 2.18.

Tipster’s Angle

Tip: Sri Lanka to win at 2.18

In the end, Sri Lanka ended up losing by 33 runs and before Hasaranga started throwing hammers, the margin of defeat could have been much bigger. But that said, Sri Lanka were 82-2 at one point in the run chase, and had their pair of Kusals (Mendis and Perera) at the crease. Had they stuck around for a while, it could have been a very different story.

Forget how the teams are currently. Historically speaking, Sri Lanka are a bigger, more talented cricketing nation than Bangladesh. That sounds like an argument built around gambler’s fallacy but if you look closely, the two teams are equally strong (or equally weak!). It means that the underdog needs to be backed in the follow-up ODI.

Tip: Top batsman of the match – Kusal Perera @ 6.0

Kusal Perera has a reputation for being a fearless hitter, more in line with the modern needs of the game. He also recently spoke of his desire to build his team in the same mould. But his 1^st ODI knock of 30 runs off 50 balls was a complete opposite of how he usually operates, or likes to. The new skipper will be desperate and determined to do better in the second ODI and might just play a starring role. He has the goods and the tools to do so.

Conclusion

Bangladesh do have the edge but in teams of such similar built and statute, any side can win really. We think Sri Lanka will bounce back and set the stage for an exciting finale.