plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds: Mushfiqur and Asitha Fernando are the main figures of their team in red ball cricket, but are not present in this competition.
The 2 teams have faced each other in major formats of the game for almost 2 years. With the dearth of Test cricket for teams outside the Big 3 these days – Bangladesh have played Sri Lanka in 11 Tests since their last competition – little has been done to discern any emerging trends. The party itself.
For Bangladesh, the most recent series at home was against New Zealand – which they drew 1-1, courtesy of an emphatic 150-run win in the 1st Test – and it was perhaps the biggest indicator of the red ball’s upward trajectory. The winning format, which came on a Sylhet pitch that offers something with both bat and ball, was especially encouraging against one of the strongest Test nations. Expect plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds. Expect plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds
For Sri Lanka, they ushered in a new era with Dhananjaya de Silva recently taking over the captaincy from Dimuth Karunaratne, with a comfortable win over Afghanistan in the first and only Test under Dhananjaya. Although the sample size is small, Dhananjaya’s performance with changes in both field placement and bowling gives a glimpse of what we can expect going forward.
plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds
Both sides, though, come into this series missing key cogs in their individual wheels.
Mushfiqur’s absence, with a fractured thumb, could be a hammer blow, and it irrevocably weakens Bangladesh’s middle order, while Asitha Fernando’s hamstring injury means Sri Lanka are without a powerful and tireless measure of short-pitch bowling – which has been key among them. The series win returned in 2022, when Mushfiqur took 13 wickets in two Tests.
And yes, recent back-to-back contests stemming from time-out commemorations and helmet shenanigans provide a spicy backdrop, too.
When Sri Lanka last toured Bangladesh in 2022, it was left to Mushfiqur and Liton Das as the rest of the batting unit largely collapsed. Since then, Nazmul Hussain has stepped up more frequently, as have Shanto and Muminul, but if Mushfiqur Rahim is out injured, it will be a rarity in recent history that none of Mushfiqur, Tamim, Shakib and Mahmudullah are in the same team. . Bangladesh Test XI. Expect plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds
Expect plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds
Tauhid Hriday – one of three uncapped players in the squad – showed unproven excitement, with Bangladesh’s middle order lacking in experience compared to Sri Lanka’s. Despite poor form with Lytton, captain Shanto will lead a team where Muminul is the only player with more than 50 caps. plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds.
But with 3 centuries in the last 6 innings and Man of the Series award in the recent ODI against Sri Lanka, Shanta is a leader capable of leading Bangladesh up front, in the field and with the bat. plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds.
For Sri Lanka, their batting is more or less stable, it is the bowling that may have some concerns, mainly the absence of Asitha, who has been key to their recent Test success. Although they still boast a good seam attack, a lot will depend on left-arm spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya.
Apart from the three Tests in New Zealand, Jayasuriya has managed comfortably exclusively at home – where he has been highly effective, taking 63 wickets in eight Tests. But this tour to Bangladesh gives him his first chance on a subcontinental surface away from home. Spinners have traditionally ruled Sylhet and so will Jayasuriya.
Team news: Expect plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds
Middle order batsman Hriday and uncapped Nahid runner may debut for Bangladesh. Lytton also returned after missing the New Zealand Test due to personal reasons. Mushfiq and Nurul Hasan are not in the final team, Naeem Hasan can leave Rana. Bangladesh (Probable): 1 Zakir Hasan, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Nazmul Hossain Shanto (captain), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Touhid Hriday, 6 Liton Das (wicketkeeper), 7 Shahadat Hossain, 8 Mehdi Hasan Miraj, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Shariful Islam, 11 Nahid Rana.
Sri Lanka’s batting line-up is pretty settled and so there are unlikely to be any surprises on that front. The only point of contention will be whether they choose two or three seamers. Chamika Gunasekara, injured against Afghanistan, is back in contention. If they opt for an extra spinner, Ramesh Mendis could find his way into the team.
Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kushal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), 7 Sadira Samarawickrama (wicketkeeper), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Janika. – Rain expected in Sylhet .
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has found green on a more open pitch in November’s Test match against New Zealand in the hope of doing well with the bat again in Sylhet. But the weather in Sylhet is not good: there is a chance of two to five days of rain. plenty of spice as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take scraps to the Test grounds