Category World News

Who: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
What: Asia Cup T20 Group B match
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
When: Saturday, September 13 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 3:30pm (11:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

The first crunch game of the 2025 Asia Cup comes in Group B with six-time winners Sri Lanka taking on a Bangladesh side that will very much fancy their chances in a game that is likely to go a long way to deciding the fate of the tough group.

With Afghanistan already up and running in the four-team group with their win against Hong Kong, who Bangladesh also beat in their group opener, Sri Lanka will be feeling the pressure to get on the board in their first outing.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a battle between two sides hoping to lift the trophy following the September 28 final.

What is Bangladesh’s T20 form coming into the game?

A 33-ball half-century from captain Litton Das handed Bangladesh an opening win in the Asia Cup on Thursday.

Bangladesh cruised to 144-3 for a seven-wicket victory after Hong Kong, which lost to Afghanistan in its opening game, made 143-7 after being put in.

Litton made a watchful start after Parvez Hossain Emon (19) was deceived by Ayush Shukla’s slower ball and was caught at deep mid-wicket in the third over.

Hong Kong struck once more inside the powerplay when Nizakat Khan ran back from mid-off and held onto a catch over his shoulders to dismiss Tanzid Hasan, who struggled to score 14 off 18 balls with only one boundary.

But Litton and Towhid Hridoy (35 not out) ensured Hong Kong did not get a sniff to repeat its historic win against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in 2014.

“Very important to win the first game,” Litton said. “Last couple of series, we have played good cricket, but in the Asia Cup, a little bit of pressure comes automatically.”

Bangladesh had beaten both Pakistan and Sri Lanka 2-1 in their last two bilateral series.

What is Sri Lanka’s T20 form like?

An unbeaten 73 from Kamil Mishara led Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare last Sunday to seal a 2-1 win in their Twenty20 series to warm up for the Asia Cup.

Put in to bat after losing the toss, Zimbabwe made 191-8, but Sri Lanka cruised to the target with 14 balls to spare.

Mishara and Kusal Perera put on 117 runs in an unbeaten third-wicket stand as Sri Lanka completed a white-ball double, having won the preceding one-day international series against Zimbabwe 2-0.

Having scored just 35 runs in four previous T20I innings, 24-year-old Mishara made his mark with a match-winning knock, hitting three sixes and six fours from the 43 balls he faced.

“It is a privilege to win a game for my country, I just feel very good,” said Mishara.

“There was pressure, of course, but the coaching staff just told me to play my normal game. I just wanted to get into my rhythm and then played my normal game.”

On top of the 2-1 series defeat by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka lost their previous T20 series 2-1 to their hosts, New Zealand, in December and January.

What happened the last time Bangladesh played Sri Lanka?

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to seal their three-game T20 bilateral series earlier this year.

Having won the toss in Colombo, Sri Lanka were restricted to 132-7 with opener Pathum Nissanka top scoring with 46 off 39 balls for the hosts.

Only two other batters made it to 20, however, with Dasun Shanaka coming in at seven and hitting 35 off 25 to top up the modest total.

Shak Mahedi Hasan claimed 4-11 off his four overs for Bangladesh before Tanzid Hasan’s unbeaten 73 off 47 made short work of the chase.

What is Bangladesh’s Asia Cup record?

Bangladesh have yet to win the Asia Cup, but with each tournament that passes, the experience grows, and with it the expectation that they will soon hold aloft the trophy.

They have been runners-up on three occasions, the last being the 2018 final, when they were defeated by India by three wickets.

It was Bangladesh’s third appearance in four finals, with India also claiming victory in the 2016 final and Pakistan beating them in 2012.

What is Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup record?

Sri Lanka has claimed six Asia Cup titles already. The islanders last lifted the trophy in 2022, beating Pakistan on home soil by 23 runs in the final.

Their first victory came in the second edition, in 1986, when they also beat Pakistan.

Between 1997 and 2008, Sri Lanka won three out of four editions, and were the defeated finalists when Pakistan claimed the title in 2000.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka team news

After their opening win, Bangladesh look set to be unchanged for the crunch second match in the group.

Janith Liyanage, meantime, was a late addition to the Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup. The seam bowling all-rounder’s addition to the squad means the Sri Lankans have a 17-strong group for the tournament.

Sri Lanka chopped and changed their way through the bilateral series against Zimbabwe, with Nuwanidu Fernando replaced for the final match by Kusal Perera.

Kamil Mishara was not selected for the first match of the three-game series, with the former two both playing, but played both the second and third games of the series.

Maheesh Theekshana also dropped out of the side from the second match to be replaced by Matheesha Pathirana.

Nuwan Thushara, like Theekshana, played the first match of the series, only to be replaced by Binura Fernando for the final two games.

Predicted Bangladesh lineup

Litton Das (c & w), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed

Predicted Sri Lanka lineup

Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced that a suspect is in custody in connection with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Authorities identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a Utah resident. The investigation is ongoing.

The man suspected of fatally shooting American conservative activist Charlie Kirk is finally in custody following a two-day federal manhunt, authorities have confirmed.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox named Tyler Robinson, 22, as the suspected shooter at a news conference on Friday, after United States President Donald Trump himself announced that a suspect had been arrested. “We got him,” Cox said.

He added that a family member of Robinson’s had reached out to a friend who contacted the authorities, and that friends and family members of Robinson, who had been interviewed by investigators, had described him as “full of hate” when discussing Charlie Kirk at a recent social gathering.

Robinson is understood to be a local resident, not a student at the university.

Here is what we know so far:

What did Trump say about Kirk’s shooter?

Before the announcement from Governor Cox and the FBI on Friday morning local time, Trump told the Fox News programme, Fox & Friends, that Kirk’s shooter was finally in custody.

“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump told the programme, adding that someone “very close to him turned him in”.

He also said the shooter had been apprehended “five minutes before I walked in” to the TV interview.

Trump said he hoped Kirk’s shooter would receive the death penalty and praised Kirk, expressing sadness over his death.

He described Kirk as the “finest person” who “didn’t deserve this”.

Trump also called Kirk “brilliant” and said that he was “like a son” who helped him with TikTok.

“I’ve never seen young people go to one person like they did to Charlie,” Trump said.

Who was Charlie Kirk and what happened to him?

A conservative media personality and staunch Trump ally, Kirk, 31, helped to revitalise the Republican youth vote and return US President Donald Trump to the White House in last year’s presidential election.

He was fatally shot in the neck in front of a crowd of 3,000 people on Wednesday as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University. He was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards.

Kirk’s shooting led to tributes pouring in from Trump, former US presidents and world leaders.

How was Robinson caught?

Governor Cox told a news conference on Friday: “On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson contacted a family friend, who then informed the Washington County Sheriff’s Office that Robinson had either confessed to or implied that he had committed the incident.

“This information was relayed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and investigators at Utah Valley University and conveyed to the FBI.”

He explained that investigators had reviewed additional video footage from the surveillance footage already released and identified Robinson arriving on campus in a Dodge Challenger on the morning of September 10. Family members interviewed by investigators confirmed that Robinson drove such a vehicle.

He also added: “Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson who stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years.”

The news of Robinson’s arrest came after a federal manhunt during which investigators interviewed more than 200 people and received about 11,000 tips from the public.

Police and federal investigators also asked the public to help identify the suspect, releasing photographs and video footage showing a “person of interest”.

Utah’s Department of Public Safety released several photographs of a white man wearing Converse trainers, jeans, a long-sleeved black T-shirt with a US flag and eagle on it, and a black baseball cap with a triangle.

What evidence has been gathered?

Surveillance footage released at a news conference on Thursday showed the man fleeing across a university rooftop about 120 metres (400ft) from where Kirk was speaking, before dropping down to the ground and running along the edge of the campus car park, across the road and into nearby woods, leaving behind palm and shoe prints which were being analysed.

Investigators said they had recovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a dark-coloured towel in the nearby woodland, which they believe was used in the shooting.

FBI special agent Robert Bohls described the weapon as “a high-powered, bolt-action rifle”. According to US media outlets citing sources, it is an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle.

Unlike semiautomatic guns, bolt-action rifles have a slower rate of fire but are valued for their precision. Bohls said the weapon is currently undergoing analysis at an FBI laboratory for possible evidence.

Governor Cox said cryptic messages were engraved on shell casings recovered with the rifle, which he read out phonetically. Their meaning is not immediately clear.

One spent shell case read: “Notices, bulges OWO what’s this?”

Cox said three unfired shell cases read: “Hey fascist! Catch! Up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols”, “Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao, Ciao” and “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”.

Cox said investigators had identified Robinson’s roommate who, he said, had shared several messages from Robinson on Discord. These described needing to pick up a rifle that had a scope mounted on it from a “drop point” and that it had been wrapped in a towel and left in a bush. The messages also discussed engraving shell casings.

What happens next?

Robinson is being held at the Utah County jail, with initial charges including aggravated murder, according to local news reports.

Governor Cox has pledged to pursue the death penalty when the suspect is tried. Trump echoed this in his own comments.

Authorities in Utah have three days to bring formal charges against Robinson, which will likely include murder and gun offences.

The suspect would then appear in court for arraignment. If he pleads not guilty, a trial will likely follow. Alternatively, he could plead guilty in exchange for a lesser penalty.

Given the gravity of the case, Robinson is not likely to be granted temporary release pending trial. He could also face federal charges.

Cox said Kirk’s killing represents a “watershed in American history”.

“The question is: What kind of watershed? And that chapter remains to be written. Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?”

Cox called on people to turn off social media, “touch grass” and engage with fellow members of their communities. “This is our moment. Do we escalate or do we find an off ramp? It’s a choice,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kirk’s killing has unleashed a wave of anger among conservatives in the US.

Some Trump supporters blamed the political left and claimed Kirk’s murder was the culmination of years of hostility towards Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“They couldn’t beat him in a debate, so they assassinated him,” Isabella Maria DeLuca, a January 6 rioter who has been pardoned by Trump and a conservative activist, wrote on X.

Israeli forces have rounded up and arrested Palestinians en masse in the occupied West Bank’s Tulkarem. The operation is being described as “collective punishment” after several Israeli soldiers were injured in an attack.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to over 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss. The historic trial has deepened political divisions in the country and triggered a sharp backlash from US President Donald Trump.