Reputation at stake for Sri Lanka as 2nd Test against B’desh starts today

ESPNCrinfo: Though the teams were almost even in the bland, high-scoring draw in Galle, they arrive in Colombo with vastly different perspectives on the first Test. Sri Lanka will feel they can take almost nothing from the match apart from meaningless runs, boosted batting averages and tired bowlers. Bangladesh meanwhile have been overjoyed at the application and skill of their batsmen, as well as the strong assertion in Galle, that they are an improving Test side.

It follows that the challenge for each team at the Premadasa Stadium is also dissimilar. The visiting batsmen will seek to ride the momentum from the first Test, and reiterate the mastery over the Sri Lankan attack that saw them to their highest Test total. Their bowling might have been fodder for the hosts, but in constructing big innings in long, secure passages of play, the Bangladesh batsmen showed they are capable of closing the gap between the teams, and will be desperate to prove the draw was as much a result of their own aptitude as the lifeless surface.

Sri Lanka however, will not only be chasing a win, they will be after an emphatic one. A 2-0 victory was what was expected when Bangladesh arrived, and while Angelo Mathews has explained the draw away by labeling the wicket “absolutely a road”, the pitch in Colombo seems set to favour bowlers, at least early on, and Mathews will want to reassert Sri Lanka’s dominance and avoid an embarrassing scoreline in his first series as captain.

Where Sri Lanka will hope to outgun Bangladesh is, strangely, in the pace ranks. Fast bowling has long been Sri Lanka’s worst cricketing suit, but they will expect Nuwan Kulasekara and Shaminda Eranga can pose a greater threat to the Bangladesh batsmen than the spin bowlers can, while the batsmen will not be daunted by Abul Hasan and Shahadat Hossain.

There is peril in that strategy though, as Sri Lanka’s top order has been prone to collapse against high-quality fast bowling in the past 12 months. Their tour of Australia was littered by meek capitulations, and even in the home series that preceded that tour, Sri Lanka’s batsmen fell prey to the pace and movement of Tim Southee and Trent Boult with alarming regularity. They are now also missing Thilan Samaraweera at No.5, who has in the past been their saviour on such occasions.

The Premadasa pitch may be unlikely to allow another encouraging draw for Bangladesh, but if they can get the best of the seam-bowling conditions and put the hosts under pressure with tight, disciplined spells, they will give themselves a chance of causing an upset.

“You have to have competition in the team, whether for the youngsters or the seniors. Among the batsmen it has been very good,” said Sri Lanka Captain Angelo Mathews on how maiden hundreds for Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne may have impacted Sri Lanka’s young batting group .

“The biggest challenge for us is to follow up a drawn Test match with another very good performance. But I am confident we can correct the small mistakes we made in the field in Galle,” said Bangladesh Captain Mushfiqur Rahim with regard to hopes for improvement even after an encouraging outing.