A highly improved Bangladesh will look to improve their record in the Island of Dharma – Sri Lanka when they kick start the two-match Test in Galle. The tourist has never won a Test in Sri Lanka in their 16 appearances on Lankan soil and will have one eye improving their overseas record.
Bangladesh, with a mix of in-form players and promising youngsters, has come with a far stronger side as compared to the previous side who visited Sri Lanka. The losses in the last couple of series against New Zealand and India will have little impact on their confidence.
The hosts also find themselves in good shape, having won all their five recent Test played at home, including a 3-0 whitewash over Australia. While the hosts start as the natural favourites, Sri Lanka would find this series as challenging as the opposition is well – equipped with players capable of bringing a turnaround on dusty tracks.
Team Composition:
Sri Lanka will be without Angelo Mathews who is yet to recover from the hamstring injury that he picked up in South Africa. Veteran Rangana Herath will lead the team in his absence. The unavailability of Mathews would also mean that Chandimal will have to play as a specialist batsman with Niroshan Dickwella taking up the wicket keeper’s role. The bowling department will have the likely names Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara in the fast bowler’s role while Dilruwan Perera will take up the second spinner’s role.
The biggest announcement which comes from the Bangladesh camp is the return of Mustafizur Rahman making a comeback to the Test setup. The left-arm fast bowler will be playing in the whites for the first time since July 2015.
Also, skipper Mushfiqur Rahim is set to give up his wicket keeper’s role and play as a specialist batsman in the team. Manager Khaled Mahmud has officially announced the news. This means Litton Das, the other specialist wicketkeeper in the Test squad, will take over the role while Rahim will bat at no.4.
With Litton Das being a certainty in the team, Sabbir Rahman may find it difficult to make it in the final squad. In the bowling department, the only suspense remains in the fact whether Mushfiqur will go with three seamers or with the same number of spinners. If an extra spinner is chosen then left-arm spinner Taijul Islam would make the cut, in the opposite case either one of the fast bowlers, Subhasis Roy or Kamrul Rabbi would get a place in the starting XI.
Probable XI:
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath (C), Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara
Bangladesh:
Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Litton Das (WK), Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam/Subashis Roy, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
Stats:
- There have been 16 Tests between the countries so far and 14 of them have been won by Sri Lanka with two games drawn.
- Dinesh Chandimal averages 128.33 against Bangladesh, with three centuries in five innings.
- Rangana Herath with 357 Test wickets is just five wickets away from overtaking Daniel Vettori’s tally as the most successful left-arm spinner in history.
Who said what?
“The return of Mustafizur is a huge advantage for us. The type of bowler he is, Mustafizur will make them work hard on this wicket. Many of them are going to play him for the first time, which we have seen is difficult for any batsman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh skipper.”
“It’s going to be a keenly contested series. I have confidence in my side and we are looking forward for the challenge. Our training has gone well and we are glad that our key batsmen are amongst runs in the last couple of weeks,” Rangana Herath said.