Both teams are different, focusing on their own strengths, but they still seemed rather skeptical of the pitch
Sri Lanka chose to bat vs Bangladesh
Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne chose to bat against Bangladesh in the second Test in Pallekele. The pitch had a greenish look, but the home side has chosen two spinners to go with their two-man pace attack.
Ramesh Mendis, the offspin-bowling allrounder, and the 22-year old left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, have replaced the injured Lahiru Kumara and legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga. It is Jayawickrama’s debut.
For the visitors, left-arm quick Shoriful Islam also makes his Test debut, in place of Ebadat Hossain. Bangladesh have opted to keep a three-man pace attack in a five-man bowling attack, to which Shoriful will add some variety.
Both teams are different, focusing on their own strengths, but they still seemed rather skeptical of the pitch. Much of the discussion ahead of the Test match was around it, after Pallekele put out the greenest pitch in Sri Lanka’s Test history only for both sides to rack up huge scores in the last Test.
Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karaunaratne (c), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Pathum Nissanka, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Vishwa Fernando, Praveen Jayawickrama.
Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Liton Das (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Abu Jayed, 11 Shoriful Islam.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84