Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test: Preview and stats
What's the story
Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh in the second and final Test of their two-match series. The match is scheduled to take place from June 25-29 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The series opener was a high-scoring affair in Galle, which was significantly interrupted by rain. It hence ended in a draw. This means stakes are high in the upcoming game. Here we decode the preview and key stats.
Match conditions
Pitch report and conditions
The pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club is known to favor spin bowlers, making it difficult for batters as the game progresses. The average first-innings score in 45 Tests here is 325, which drops to 182 in the fourth innings, as per Cricbuzz. Rain is also expected during this match with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of around 26 degrees Celsius. The action will start at 10:00am IST.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have played 27 Tests against each other, with the former winning 20 times. Bangladesh have managed to win just once, while six matches have ended in a draw. Meanwhile, the Lankans have won 11 of their 15 home Tests against Bangladesh (Loss: 1). SL won each of their previous three Tests against Bangladesh at the SSC Colombo.
1st Test
Summary of the 1st Test
Bangladesh batted first and scored a mammoth 495/10. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim scored tons. In reply, Sri Lanka suffered a lower-order collapse but managed to score 485/10, giving Bangladesh a slender 10-run lead. Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis batted well. The game saw Bangladesh declare their third innings at 285/6 thanks to Shanto's second ton of the game. Chasing 296, SL finished at 72/4 as the game resulted in a draw.
Additions
Probable changes in the XI
The series opener was Angelo Mathews's farewell Test. Oshada Fernando is hence likely to walk it at number four for SL. Milan Rathnayake has also been ruled out for the second game due to a left-side strain. Meanwhile, spinner Dunith Wellalage and fast bowler Vishwa Fernando have been added to SL's squad. Both are likely to walk in to the XI. For Bangladesh, veteran all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has regained fitness, and he should replace Jaker Ali.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
Sri Lanka (Probable XI): Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Oshada Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Dunith Wellalage, Vishwa Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando. Bangladesh (Probable XI): Shadman Islam, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Najmul Hossain Shanto scripted history in Galle as he became the first Bangladesh captain to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. Mushfiqur Rahim played a 163-run knock in the opener. He now owns 901 Test runs across 16 innings in the Island nation at 69.30. Nayeem Hasan took a fifer in the Galle Test. Pathum Nissanka smashed 187 runs in SL's first innings in the opener, his highest Test score. Asitha Fernando claimed a four-fer in Galle.
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