Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to continue to trade punches

 Sri Lanka needs to sharpen their fielding if they are to make an impact in Test

Bangladesh Head Coach Phil Simmons during training

• Second Test starts at SSC today

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will trade punches with the hope of putting maximum points on the board when they meet in the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship new cycle (2025-27) commencing at the SSC grounds today.

It was Bangladesh who came out on top in the drawn first Test played at Galle that saw both teams share the 8 points.

Playing at home it is imperative that Sri Lanka grab the maximum points if they are to make any impact in the WTC over the next two years.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva has emphasised on that, but at Galle it didn’t quite work out that way and Sri Lanka ran second best.

“The plan is to take 20 wickets to win the game. It is very important to get the bowling combination right. What I mean is whether we are going to have the extra seamer or extra spinner,” said De Silva looking ahead at today’s game.

“We had a chat with the bowlers. We knew we lost the grip on the first day at Galle. The bowlers didn’t do much wrong but Bangladesh batted for a lot of overs. That gap was vital and that is why we couldn’t get a result in the game. If you take history, pace has taken about 70 percent of Bangladeshi wickets. But on a pitch like Galle it is tough for pace to make a mark. We have named 12 players. The weather is changing constantly. We want to play three pacies here but we will take a look at the wicket and make a decision tomorrow morning. We need to get a good total to put them under pressure.”

Sri Lanka were not up to the mark in their fielding at Galle with some crucial catches being put down. It is something that they need to work on and improve if they are to gain a result in their favour. One thing that Sri Lanka can take into the Test is that they have a win percentage of 46.66 at this venue winning 21 of the 45 Tests played with 10 losses and 14 draws. Bangladesh has lost all three Tests they have played here in 2007, 2002 and 2001.

If Sri Lanka go with a three-seam one spin attack it is most likely that their key spinner Prabath Jayasuriya who is struggling to recapture his form will be retained despite his poor figures in the first Test at Galle. Jayasuriya will be playing on his home turf at SSC.

“Sometimes a bowler can be out of form and the others need to do the job. I thought pace did a good job in Galle. There was not much support for the spinners. I think Prabath will make an impact if there is some assistance for spinners. He will be a handful. If you take the wickets prepared for the NSL (National Super League 4-day) they were flat but here at the SSC on the final day the wicket can start turning. Prabath used to play in spin conditions mostly, the over-spin is what we are talking about. He has been working on over-spin to get the bounce when the wicket is flat. It is something that Nathan Lyon does.”

Sonal Dinusha, the left-handed all-rounder is set to make his Test debut replacing Angelo Mathews who retired from Test cricket at the end of the Galle Test.

Former West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons who is the Bangladesh head coach said that his team head into the second Test with a lot of confidence.

“There is lot of confidence from how we played in Galle. It was the case most of the time. We were up with the running from the start and a lot of confidence we have ahead of the second Test. Players are feeling good. When you play good cricket it lifts the team. We have had three days between the Tests. Our preparations have been good. We had a good training camp in Dhaka and the morale is great. We come here and we assess what the wicket looks like and the conditions here, and then decide on the composition. We had a good first Test.”

With their Vice-Captain and key spin all-rounder Mehidi Hasan Miraz set to return to the side after missing the first Test with fever, Bangladesh may have to make a few changes to their side, like having to decide on whether they should retain off-spinner Nayeem Hasan who picked up five Sri Lankan wickets in the first innings.

“Miraz is the number two all-rounder in the world at the moment. That will be a lot of depth for our side with both bat and ball. At the same time everyone else needs to do a job. Miraz will do what he usually does but others need to back him as well,” said Simmons.

“To leave Nayeem Hasan out is difficult. But we know this is what’s happening and we make sure everyone is on the same page. If a decision has to be made, people understand what’s best for the team. It depends on what we decide to do. We have to make up our minds whether we are going in with three seamers or we are backing the spinners.”

Talking of Bangladesh’s chances of winning, Simmons said, “The home team is playing good cricket. It’s not going to be easy for us.”

Sri Lanka's 12 for today

Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Kusal Mendis,  Kamindu Mendis, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Tharindu Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando.