Can Bangladesh fight off elimination on Day 3?

MANAMA (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers - Western Region) – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes on Sri Lanka at 5pm (local time) followed by hosts Bahrain vs Bangladesh at 7.

Sri Lanka vs Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

After a disappointing loss to Bahrain on the opening day, Sri Lanka showed it had the ability to step up at key moments in the win over Bangladesh yesterday. The win takes Sri Lanka a big step closer towards guaranteeing a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers. Saudi Arabia meanwhile has already set expectations soaring with a hugely impressive win over Palestine last evening.

The two teams will be visibly mismatched when it comes to size, athleticism and bench strength, with Saudi Arabia clearly ahead in all three departments. If Sri Lanka can slow down Saudi Arabia and continue to knock down shots from distance, they could avoid the embarrassment of another blowout loss.

Saudi Arabia though, will already be looking ahead to their final game against Gulf rivals Bahrain tomorrow.

Bahrain vs Bangladesh

Bangladesh will be fighting to stave off elimination as it takes on the 1-0 hosts Bahrain in the second game of today’s double header. After leading early against Sri Lanka yesterday, Bangladesh had a forgettable meltdown in the second half to concede a winnable game 60-63. Against Bahrain, they will be up against opponents of a much higher caliber. Bahrain hasn’t been tested so far and a lot will rest on Bangladesh’s forward Mithun Biswas’s all round scoring and playmaking abilities. Biswas needs his teammates to step up as well for the entire four quarters, something that the side has lacked in both their previous losses.

With a day’s rest coming in, Bahrain will be fresh and ready to send out a strong message to upcoming opponents Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. An already drained Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be playing for the third straight day and barring a miraculous recovery of body and mind, might well be staring at a third straight loss.

FIBA