• “The game will go forward at a quicker pace. We have to be ready for that”: Coach Silverwood

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Praveen Jayawickrama

Kasun Rajitha

The fact that Sri Lanka has never lost a Test match in Bangladesh and that their last three wins have come at Mirpur, venue of the second Test match beginning today, only emphasises the domination they have over their hosts.

Sri Lanka won by 107 runs in 2008, by an innings and 248 runs in 2014 and by 215 runs in 2018. However, that does not mean that the present team is invincible at this venue, for Bangladesh proved they had the upper hand in the drawn first Test at Chattogram last week, and will take a lot of confidence from it coming to the second Test.

Chris Silverwood, Sri Lanka’s new head coach, acknowledged the fact that his team had to fight hard to get back into the game, after Bangladesh had dominated for most of the time. 

“The two teams fought a close contest in Chattogram last week – closer than the result showed – but the game will have a faster pace in Dhaka, for which they will have to be prepared to react quickly,” said Silverwood at a media conference yesterday. 

“I don't think this is going to be an easy game at all. Both teams want to win this game. I think the last game was a close-fought contest. The momentum swung both ways; rapidly at times. Bangladesh

had us on the ropes at times.” 

“We had to fight back hard to make sure that we got back into the game. I think this will be similar. The game will go forward at a quicker pace. We have to be ready for that. I am looking forward to

some exciting cricket.”

Sri Lanka have made two changes from the drawn first Test. They have left out left-arm fast bowler Vishwa Fernando who is still recovering from a blow to the head while batting in the first Test and also dropped left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya who took only one wicket for 104 runs.

Fernando’s place has been taken by Kasun Rajitha who came in as concussion substitute in the first Test and turned out to be Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler with four wickets, while Embuldeniya

has been replaced by another left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who destroyed the Bangladesh batting with 11 wickets on his debut just over a year ago at Pallekele. Sri Lanka however have retained off-spinner Ramesh Mendis who went wicketless for 119 runs.

“I thought Kasun and Asitha (Fernando) were excellent. I thought the way that they continued, the heart and fight that they showed – in what was a flat wicket – was exceptional,” said Silverwood. “Kasun bowled well. He got movement on a flat deck. He held his line and length beautifully. He got rewarded too. I was really pleased with how the seamers bowled. I thought we got better in all departments as time went on.”

Sri Lanka will not be short of first-hand knowledge of the Mirpur pitch as they have in their midst former national cricketer Naveed Nawaz as their assistant coach and former first-class cricketer Gamini Silva as the curator. Nawaz had a four-year stint with the Bangladesh Under-19 team before joining the Lankan camp. 

Bangladesh have gone into a Mirpur Test traditionally with three spinners, but injuries to Nayeem Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz and fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam they will be hard pressed to find substitutes, although they have two frontline spinners in Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam. 

Sri Lanka playing XI: Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, and Kasun Rajitha.

Bangladesh must defy injuries to win decisive Sri Lanka test