Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Preview: Teams in search of victory in the decider

Sri Lanka will be riding high on confidence after pushing the hosts to the corner albeit for a brief period.

Published - 07 Feb 2018, 12:53 IST | Updated - 07 Feb 2018, 12:53 IST

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Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will face off in the second and final Test match of the series after playing out a tame draw in Chittagong last week. The groundsmen will be aware of providing a result-oriented pitch for the decider after ICC rated the turf for the opening game as ‘below average’. However, both the teams would want to give their best and win the series in what is supposed to a close contest over the next five days at Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Bangladesh were found wanting in the first Test despite scoring a mammoth total of 513 in the first innings. Their bowlers especially looked out of ideas completely on a flat track and also leaked runs due to lack of patience. They failed to pitch the ball consistently in the same area and paid for the same in the due course. They would like the bowling to improve against the rejuvenated batsmen of the visitors after the run-fest in Chittagong. Also, the middle order needs to perform better this time around in the continued absence of Shakib Al Hasan.

Sri Lanka finished the first Test with a psychological advantage over the hosts after their batsmen piled on the runs in the first innings. In the second innings, they almost flustered their batters with quick wickets only to be denied by the benign pitch on the final day. But even their bowling attack seemed toothless and failed to make inroads early on with the ball. Even the dropped catches didn’t help their cause and an improved effort is the must in order to trump Bangladesh in their own den.

What they said:

Mushfiqur Rahim expected the pitch to be helpful for the bowlers after the run-fest in Chittagong. He was of the opinion that it should be a result-oriented wicket, doesn’t matter if it is hard for the batsmen. “If the bowlers get some help, let it be hard for the batsmen. We are capable of getting something out of it, which we showed on the fifth day of the Chittagong Test. It will definitely give us some confidence,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Pitch report

The wicket in Dhaka is a batting paradise for the first couple of days after which it breaks down considerably to assist spinners. The team winning the toss would surely want to bat first and avoid facing the spinners in the fourth innings. Also, the team batting second has to bat big else it is surely going to be tough for them later in the game with the scores decreasing as the innings progresses.

Average scores at the venue in the 1st inning is – 329, the 2nd inning is 334, it drops considerably in the third inning to 250 and further drops in the final innings to 191.

Playing Combination

Bangladesh

Bangladesh will continue to miss the experience of Shakib Al Hasan who is yet to recover from the finger injury. Mahmudullah will lead his troops for the second consecutive game after surviving a brief scare in his captaincy debut. Sunzamul Islam was dropped for the final Test by the selectors and included Sabbir Rahman which means he will be drafted into the XI to bolster the batting line-up. The rest of the playing Xi should remain unchanged barring last minute injuries.

Probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das(w), Mahmudullah(c), Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman

Sri Lanka

The experiment of opening with Kusal Mendis worked for the visitors as he regained his confidence and the form which was lacking in him. The batting is looking solid now after piling all the batsmen piled on the runs on a flat pitch. Dimuth Karunaratne would be ruing the missed opportunity but he is too good a batsman to be left out after only one failure. The only change expected in the line-up is Lahiru Gamage replacing Lahiru Kumara who looked completely out of sorts.

Probable XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Niroshan Dickwella(w), Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Lakshan Sandakan

Head to Head

Overall – Matches – 19 Sri Lanka – 15 Bangladesh – 1 Draw – 3

Focus will be on

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Tamim Iqbal has been guilty of throwing away the starts more often than not in the longest format of the game. Even in Chittagong, he got the team off to a rapid start but failed to continue not once but twice in the match. He would be gutted with the way he was dismissed as well and must dig in to play a long innings. His burst at the top would help his team to dent the confidence of Sri Lanka.

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

Rangana Herath was uncharacteristically out of touch in the first match and failed to find any rhythm throughout the Test match. Sri Lanka always bank on his wily left-arm spin and with the pitch expected to break up as early on the third day, Herath could come into the game early. His spell could well decide the state of the match and the series. There is no doubt about the talent he possesses and the home side needs to be wary of him.