DUBAI: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will have an eye fixed firmly on the 2019 World Cup when they face each other in the opening Asia Cup clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Defending champions India, who have won the Asia Cup six times, are led by dashing opener Rohit Sharma as regular captain and world’s top batsman Virat Kohli is rested after a gruelling tour of England recently.

Sri Lanka, hot on India’s heels with five titles, two-time winners Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanis­tan and qualifiers Hong Kong complete the line-up.

Sharma said although a lot cricket is to be played between now and the World Cup, to be held in England from May 30 to July 15 next year, the Asia Cup can help in the build-up.

“In a way you can say that [the Asia Cup is a build-up] because every team wants to go to the World Cup wanting to know their combination,” Sharma said at a press conference on Friday. “But having said that it is important to focus on the job at hand rather than think too far ahead. All the teams and players have a great opportunity to do well and stake claims for the World Cup squad.

“I won’t understand how Angie [Angelo Mathews], Sarfraz [Ahmed] or Mashrafe [Mortaza] are looking at it and what their strengths and weaknesses are. But as the tournament progresses, we will understand what teams are doing,” Sharma added.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed described the event as a ‘journey towards’ next year’s tournament in England.

“Yes, there are still eight months to the World Cup and we have to play a lot of cricket before that. But yes the Asia Cup is a continuation of the journey towards the World Cup,” Sarfraz said.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews and Bangladesh’s Mashrafe Mortaza described the Asia Cup as the process towards the World Cup.

“It’s a process and in a tournament like this we have to find the right combination with an eye on the World Cup,” said Mathews.

Mashrafe believed his team has worked hard for the Asia Cup. “Asia Cup is an important tournament so we have done a good homework for it and build-up towards the World Cup which is still far.”

The highlight of the Asia Cup remains the high-profile group match between arch-rivals Pakistan and India on Wednesday here in Dubai.

They have a rich tradition of playing in the neighbouring state of Sharjah, where their matches took place from 1984-2000, but have not toured United Arab Emirates since 2006, when they played a two-match series in Abu Dhabi.

Sharma admitted it will be an exciting clash, the first between the neighbours since Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy final at The Oval in June last year.

“Yes, it will be exciting to play Pakistan here after a long gap but by no way I am saying it’s the only game,” Sharma said. “The focus is on the whole tournament as other teams are also eyeing the title. There is no doubt Pakistan have played some great cricket of late and we are looking forward to that clash,” he said.

Pakistan, India and Hong Kong are in Group ‘A’, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan form Group ‘B’.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four and the top two teams from Super Four will play the Sept 28 final in Dubai.

Five Asia Cup matches will be played in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are plagued by injuries as they look for a winning start.

With Afghanistan the third team in the group, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will try to make a good start to the tournament and make sure they do not fall behind in the race for the Super Four.

Bangladesh’s talismanic all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan needs surgery on his left little finger, but has pushed it back till after the Asia Cup; senior opener Tamim Iqbal has a swollen right ring finger and off-spinner Nazmul Hossain also has an injury in his bowling hand.

Sri Lanka have already lost the services of Test captain Dinesh Chandimal and Danushka Gunathilaka due to injury issues.

It’s not an ideal situation for either team, but Bangladesh do not worry too much about things what they cannot control — as Bangladesh manager Khaled Mahmud said: “I don’t think injuries will have a big effect on us.”

Hosts for the last three successive times, Bangladesh reached the final of the 50-over Asia Cup in 2012 and the T20 version in 2016, but both times they missed out titles, losing to Pakistan and India by two runs and eight wickets respectively.

This time, Bangladesh have come into the tournament on the back of a 2-1 series win over the West Indies in the Caribbean, while Sri Lanka lost their last assignment, a five-match home series, against South Africa, but have some momentum after having won the last two games of that series and then the one-off T20I.

If recent bilateral history is anything to go by, the team currently coached by Chandika Hathurusingha beat the team formerly coached by the same man twice in a row to win the triangular series in Dhaka — with Zimbabwe as the third team — in January.

However, the Bangladesh boys had taken their revenge in the Nidahas Trophy against the hosts, and come into this tournament as the higher-ranked of the two teams.

Bangladesh have a full-strength side to pick from, fitness permitting, with the mainstays Shakib, Tamim, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman bolstering their prospects.

With Chandimal out, Sri Lanka cannot quite make the same claim, but their squad looks strong on papers too.

Mathews has tremendous experience and class, qualities that are not lacking in the core of Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Suranga Lakmal or returning Lasith Malinga either.

The return of Malinga, indeed, has been one of the stories in the lead-up to the event, with the pace bowler not having played any international cricket since September last year.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018