Sri Lanka suffered twin injury blows before taking on Bangladesh in the second Test in Chittagong as left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and seamer Shaminda Eranga were both ruled out of the match on Monday. Herath had been suffering from a recurring knee injury, while Eranga picked up a thigh injury during the first Test in Dhaka. The duo will return to Sri Lanka today and will be replaced by Kusal Janith Perera and Thisara Perera, a Sri Lanka Cricket press release said.
However, Kusal and Thishara, who are mainly a part of Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 and one-day international squads, will not be able to make it to Chittagong before the second Test starts and will therefore only be available for the role of substitute fielders.
Ajantha Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep are expected to take Herath and Eranga’s spots in the starting lineup.
The departure of Herath and Eranga could affect Sri Lanka’s bowling adversely as they have led their spin and pace attacks respectively in recent matches.
Herath took 12 wickets against Bangladesh in the Colombo Test last year, proving his worth as Sri Lanka’s spin spearhead in the post-Muttiah Muralitharan period.
While Eranga did not make a serious impact in the home series, he tested the Tigers in their own den with series of short-balls in the first Test in Dhaka.
His dismissal of Shamsur Rahman in the second innings was one of the highlights of the otherwise one-sided game.
Eranga and Suranga Lakmal shared seven wickets between them in the first innings to dismiss Bangladesh for 232 runs, giving Sri Lanka control of the game from the onset.
With Eranga now retuning home, Sri Lanka did not want risk their other bowlers with an excessive workload and hence rested Lakmal from Monday’s training session.
Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews is also looking for a good performance from spinner Mendis, who has not played in a Test match since conceding
152 runs in 34 overs against Bangladesh at Galle last year.
‘All players have a bit of a rough patch as their career goes on,’ Mathews told reporters in Chittagong.
‘Mendis had a bit of a rough patch in the past, but he’s bowling brilliantly and he’s back in form.’
Mathews said he expected a low, turning pitch in Chittagong, unlike the one they were offered in Dhaka, where ball bounced to a decent height, giving their bowlers a certain advantage.
‘You can’t predict the wicket 100%, but it might get slower and lower as the Test match goes on,’ he said. ‘But at least the first couple of days will be good for batting.’
Mathews also said Sri Lanka were prepared to face some backlash from Bangladesh after annihilating the hosts by an innings and 248 runs in the first Test.
‘They’ve got nothing to lose and they’ll come back hard at us, so we’ve got to accept the challenge,’ he said.
-With New Age input
