Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Clash in Test Series Opener
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will face off in the first match of a two-match Test series at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to field first.
Sri Lanka’s opening pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka faced the new ball from Shoriful Islam and Khaled Ahmed. Madushka was dismissed early, caught by Mehidy Hasan at third slip off Ahmed’s bowling.
Kusal Mendis joined Karunaratne at the crease, and the pair steadied the innings with a cautious approach. Ahmed and Shoriful continued to bowl tightly, but the Sri Lankan batsmen managed to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Bangladesh will be without their experienced batter, Mushfiqur Rahim, who sustained a thumb injury. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will miss the services of pacer Asitha Fernando due to a hamstring injury.
Both teams enter the series with recent victories under their belts. Bangladesh has won three of their last five games, while Sri Lanka has also recorded three wins in their past five matches.
The hosts will be confident of a positive result after defeating New Zealand in their previous Test clash. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be looking to carry their momentum from their ODI series win into the longer format.
Sri Lanka will be keen to bounce back from their ODI setback and make Bangladesh work hard for victory. The visitors will rely on the experience of Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews, while Bangladesh will look to their young bowlers to make an impact.
The pitch at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium is expected to offer some assistance to the bowlers, particularly early on. However, it could become more difficult to bat as the game progresses.
