Rain may mar match

FE Team | Published: June 25, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

COLOMBO, Jun 24 (AP): Sri Lanka is eagerly anticipating its first home Test series in almost a year starting tomorrow (Monday) but officials fear bad weather may be decisive in the three-Test series.
"We are certainly looking forward to the Test match, although the weather has not been favourable to us during the last few days," Trevor Penny, the team's Australian acting coach, told the news agency ahead of the first Test match against Bangladesh starting at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
The country has experienced heavy rain over the past week, with the visitors' three-day practice match against Sri Lanka A being curtailed by rain.
Sri Lanka, under Mahela Jayawardene, has earned a reputation for being efficient and ruthless over the past two years.
However the team will not be complacent even though Bangladesh are the lowest-ranked Test team and struggle in the longer version of the game.
Since its admission to Test cricket in 2000, Bangladesh have lost 40 of its 46 matches and won just one against a depleted Zimbabwe.
"People may say that it's Bangladesh, but nevertheless, all the boys are keen and there's no complacency whatsoever" Penny said.
Sri Lanka last played a Test series at home in July and August, 2006 against South Africa and won the series 2-0.
Key players Muttiah Murali-tharan, Kumar Sanga-kkara and Chaminda Vaas return to the Sri Lankan fold after suspending their English County commitments. The team will have a new opening pair in uncapped Malinda Warnapura and Michael Vandort because experienced Sanath Jaya-suriya, Marvan Atapattu and Upul Tharanga have withdrawn.
Jayasuriya cited County commitments and Atapattu personal reasons for their withdrawal while Tharanga was injured last week while practising and is out for two weeks.
"It's a good opportunity for both of them. Michael has already got a hundred against Bangladesh and scored a very good hundred last year at Edgbaston against England. Malinda, on the other hand, has been in good form and has scored heaps of runs for the A team," Penny said.
There will also be a focus on off-spinner Muralitharan, who needs 35 more wickets to overtake retired Australian spinner Shane Warne to become the highest Test wicket taker in cricket history.
Muralitharan has 674 wickets in 110 Test matches and is only behind Warne's 708 wickets.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have got new respect from opposition teams after their excellent run during the World Cup tournament in the West Indies earlier this year where they beat strong teams South Africa and India.
"We have really done well in one-day internationals in the last few years, but we need to convert our success in Test matches as well," Bangladesh's new captain Mohammad Ashraful told reporters.
"Batting for us will be the key. Earlier, we had not adjusted sufficiently in Test matches and got into trouble by playing too many shots too early. Now we have been working on that aspect", he added.
"This series is a big challenge for us and we are determined to do well. We want to improve everyday and the results don't really matter to us," Ashraful said.
Squads:
Sri Lanka (from): Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardena, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof,Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Malinga Bandara and Sujeewa de Silva.
Bangladesh (from): Moham-mad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Habibul Bashar, Javed Omar, Mehrab Hossain , Shahriar Nafees, Rajin Saleh, Shakib Al Hasan, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rassel, Mohammed Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mohammad Sharif and Mushfiqur Rahim.