There were some common views among the two captains when they spoke at the pre-match press conference in Mirpur yesterday ahead of the second Test starting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium from today. Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Chandimal both believe that there will be a result in the series decider and that spinners will dictate terms. Unlike his counterpart, Chandimal issued a warning for the home side, saying: “We have something up our sleeves.
“They (Bangladesh) are really good, especially on their home soil. They have performed well here. We never underestimated them and they are playing really good cricket. We have more experienced players in our Test side compared to our ODI side. It is still challenging for us but we have some game plans tailored to the conditions and their players. We need to execute those well,” he added.
He also provided his observation regarding the pitch. “It looks like a dry surface. Spinners will come into play in this game. When you look at this pitch, there will definitely be a result. It is challenging for both teams. It won’t be like Chittagong.”
The Sri Lanka skipper apparently tried to present young left-arm chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan as his trump card.
“Sandakan is our wicket-taking bowler. If it is a good pitch, Rangana [Hearth] and Dilruwan [Perera] can do a holding job. Sandakan can’t do that holding job. I will bring him to take wickets, which is his role. We know that the Bangladesh batsmen didn’t play him really well.”
With hundreds in both innings in the first Test in Chittagong, Mominul Haque almost single-handedly prevented the Lankans from doing something special on a dead pitch but Chandimal disclosed that they have special plans for the little left-hander.
“He [Mominul Haque] played outstandingly in Chittagong. He has been good in Test cricket. He has a good temperament. It is not an easy thing to score centuries in both innings. It is always special. We have something up our sleeves against him in this game. I hope the bowlers execute it in the middle,” said the Lankan skipper.
Chandimal brought up the Chandika Hathurusingha factor when talking about forming plans against the Tigers. “He [Hathurusingha] has a good idea, especially of the players and conditions here. It is really helpful for us to get real advice from him. We are looking forward to getting his knowledge.”
In the end both captains also echoed the same sentiment on another issue — of taking positives from the drawn Chittagong Test, but ultimately the team that execute their plan properly can lay true claim to having brought gains from Chittagong to Dhaka.
