Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in their second group match of the Asia Cup, buoyed by recent victories against the island nation that have boosted the team’s confidence, according to young pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Bangladesh has won three of their last five T20 encounters against Sri Lanka. That includes a 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka earlier this July — a result seen as a major source of inspiration ahead of Friday's match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

“We are confident because we beat them in their own backyard last time,” Tanzim told reporters at the pre-match press conference. “Our aim is clear — we’re going in to win.”

Bangladesh started their Asia Cup campaign strongly with a seven-wicket win over Hong Kong. A second win against Sri Lanka would put them in a strong position to qualify for the next stage.

Tanzim said the team’s recent exposure to Sri Lanka has helped them understand the opposition better.

“We’ve played them quite a few times recently. We know their players well, and we’ve prepared accordingly,” he said. “They have quality players, but we are focused on playing our best cricket to stop them.”

While the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka rivalry has recently seen its share of tense moments, Tanzim insisted he focused solely on performance.

“There will always be rivalry,” he said. “But for me, the focus is on winning, whether it’s against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Of course, past wins over Sri Lanka give us extra confidence.”

Reflecting on his approach, the pacer said he is sticking to the basics.

“At the T20 World Cup, my focus was line and length. That hasn’t changed. I’m not trying anything new — just aiming to repeat what has worked before,” he added.

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