Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh – 2nd Test Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh taking place? Thursday, April 29th, 2021 – 05:30 (UK)
Where is Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh taking place? Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
What is the expected weather for Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh? 31c with sunshine but a risk of thunderstorms on all five days
What channel is Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh on? The match will not be televised live on UK television
LAST MEETING
Match drawn
THE TEAM NEWS
SRI LANKA
- Sri Lanka will be hoping for more life in the pitch at Pallekele after the tepid draw in the first Test although that was the first draw after 28 Test matches in the country that had seen a result played out.
- They are forced into at least one change for this game as the injury-prone Lahiru Kumara suffered a hamstring injury in the first Test so he will miss out and spinner Lakshan Sandakan could be the man to replace him.
- First-choice spinner Lasith Embuldeniya remains absent but they will be hoping for a pitch that offers much more to the spinners but either way, they seem likely to go with another spinner to share the workload if the pitch is as lifeless as it was in the first game.
BANGLADESH
- Bangladesh were heartened by the strong batting performance in the first Test as they managed to post 541/7 in the first innings to essentially assure themselves of avoiding defeat.
- The only negative from that opening game was the two failures of Saif Hassan at the top of the order as he could only manage a solitary run across two innings but the selectors have confirmed he will be given another chance here.
- With that in mind, the likelihood is that they name an unchanged starting line-up for this second Test unless they make some rotations within their bowling unit to keep them fresh after a long spell in the field in the first game.
THE PREDICTION
After an incredibly dull first Test where the pitch offered virtually nothing to the bowling attacks of either side, much will depend on how they have prepared this pitch. There will be a desire to make it more favourable to spinners here but how much remains to be seen. There is plenty of rain forecast and expected to disrupt play on most days so that combined with a tepid pitch could easily lead to another draw. Both batting line-ups looked in excellent touch in the first game but it was incredibly difficult to assess the form of the bowlers. Sri Lanka are not helped by the absence of Kumara and that may encourage their grounds team to prepare a spin friendly track. That said, the preference pre-match has to be on the draw once again unless conditions early on suggest there is much more life in this pitch.
