'We haven't played our best cricket yet'

Unlike their opponents, Sri Lanka have had a good experience in Australian conditions. Having played against Bangladesh a number of times in the last one year, they also know their opponents quite well.

The Lankans in fact have won six out of the 17 matches at this venue as a result there is no shortage of experience. The recent picture however has been gloomy. They went down to Zimbabwe in the warm-up, were thumped by New Zealand and then struggled to a late win against Afghanistan. Captain Angelo Mathews admitted that it wasn't the best of starts for them.

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"I think wherever you play, you've got to play your best cricket. We haven't played our best cricket yet. Regardless of the pitches and conditions, if we play our best cricket, if we play our unique type of cricket, we can win against any team," said Mathews at the pre-match press conference yesterday.

"The Australian pitches have a lot more bounce and the ball comes on to the bat really well. So as batters when you get set, you can go for a big one, so hopefully the batters can do their job, and hopefully if you bat first, the bowlers can come into play in the second," he added.

Despite enjoying a great head-to-head record -- 32 to 4 -- against the Tigers, Mathews was aware of the possible threats that his side could face.

"It's certainly going to be a tough game. Bangladesh have performed really well in the recent past. It's a World Cup game. It's going to be a pressure game for all of us. So, I mean, as I keep saying, we can't take any team lightly. We've got to set our standards and set our goals high and play every single game as a final or semifinal," said Mathews.

"If we click as a group, I think we can do wonders. It's just that we need to click as a group and try to win games. What's past is past. I think we've got to move on. We've got to take one game at a time," he added.