Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet starting on Friday, March 22. Both teams will try to achieve glory in this match, cementing their position as the better side in these conditions.
Bangladesh know this ground and its conditions well and are expected to have an advantage over their opponents. However, the latter, too, have many top-quality spinners in their ranks who can tilt the game in their favour. It is going to take a lot of work for Bangladesh.
The home team must use a good mixture of spinners and seamers to get ahead of this game. It will be challenging for their batters to rely only on sweeping. Bangladesh won the ODI series 2-1, while the Lankans won the T20 series preceding that.
Predicted Teams
Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Shahadat Hossain.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
Key Players
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh): Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto will play a role for Bangladesh in this Test match. He is in fine form and will have to ensure that he does not give his wicket away cheaply while playing his shots. Shanto is known for his exquisite sweeping and driving skills.
Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka): Sri Lankan seamer Lahiru Kumara has taken the world by late owing to his accurate lines and lengths. He is expected to partner with the more senior Kasun Rajitha in this Test match and try to break the Bangladesh batting lineup into shreds. Kumara’s accuracy is what makes him stand apart from his colleagues.
Match Prediction
Bangladesh enjoy an advantage over Sri Lanka in this Test match. We expect them to coast to a comfortable win at the end of the five days. It is not going to be easy for the visitors to get comfortable in these conditions, and it remains to be seen how well they adapt to the heat. Bangladesh is also known for its quick over rates.
