Sri Lanka know they have issues at Nos. 6 and 7 – their batters in those positions have been frequently unable to deliver big finishes. But those batters are working hard to provide that firepower, says coach Chris Silverwood.

At the moment, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka’s incumbent No. 6, averages 26.04 and strikes at 74.93 at that position. Their captain Dasun Shanaka, currently the No. 7, averages 25.43 and strikes at 86.59 there. Both sets of figures fall well short of those of the best finishers in world cricket.

“Dasun is working very hard at the moment, as he always does,” Silverwood said ahead of Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup Super Four match against Bangladesh. “We’re working hard with him at the moment so he can get the runs that we know he can.

“We think at No. 7 he can make real strong contributions for us, and help build on the good starts that we’ve been getting. We’ve been getting into positions we could launch from, and it’d be great to see Dasun really hurt the opposition and get us over that 300 mark.”

Like Shanaka, who has led a white-ball resurgence for the team despite his own batting form, Dhananjaya also has other attributes. Not only does he often deliver reliable overs through the middle period, but he has also developed a reputation for rebuilding the innings if the top order falls cheaply – something Silverwood pointed out.

“With the two of them sat at [Nos.] 6 and 7, we want them to provide firepower. It’s not just a case of going out there and slogging. It’s about doing it their way, and hitting their strong shots. And making sure that they have a clear plan of how they’re going to execute that. As we’ve seen in the past, Dhananjaya has been very good at getting us out of a hole, and getting us to a score that we can then defend.”

In an Asia Cup that has so far been a showcase of excellent fast bowling, though, Silverwood singled out Bangladesh’s seamers as a particular threat ahead of Saturday’s match. The tracks in Colombo are expected to be slower than in Pallekele, but with rain around, the quick bowlers might nevertheless have big roles to play.

“I think Bangladesh have got a very strong bowling unit. From what I’ve seen so far, in this competition, I’ve been very impressed with them – particularly the pace bowlers,” Silverwood said. “They’re big, they’re strong, they’re accurate, and they get movement. We have to make sure we prepare well and make sure that every batter on our side has a plan on how to cope with every bowler on their side.

“We’ve been watching Bangladesh and preparing well. It’s a different surface here compared to Kandy. We’ll have to make sure that our combinations are right for this wicket.”