Depleted Sri Lanka eager to avoid whitewash
Sri Lanka has lost six top guns for the second Test and looks a meagre side against the strong Proteas - AFP
Batsman Minod Bhanuka and seamer Asitha Fernando are all set to make their Test debut today with six key players ruled out for the second Test as a depleted Sri Lanka side look to avoid a whitewash against hosts Proteas at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Both Bhanuka and Fernando have played limited over cricket for Sri Lanka and with injuries galore, the team management got no option but to throw the youngsters into the deep water. Whether they could impress on debut is left to be seen but both are talented youngsters with lot of promise. Fernando bowls right-arm medium pace while Bhanuka is a wicket-keeper batsman.
Dinesh Chandimal, Oshada Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara have all been ruled out from the second Test due to injuries while Suranga Lakmal too remains doubtful after he failed a fitness test on Friday, forcing the Sri Lanka team management to pick up the missing pieces from their reserves. Sri Lanka took 21 players for the tour to face such unforeseen circumstances as players can’t just be called up from Sri Lanka due to health restrictions.
Chandimal, and fast bowlers Rajitha and Kumara all picked up groin injuries during the first Test while de Silva strained a tendon in his left thigh on the first day of the match as South Africa gained victory by an innings and 45 runs. Lakmal who sustained a hamstring injury ahead of the series is still to recover but skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said Lakmal is expected to do another fitness test later on Saturday to decide his availability for the match. Oshada Fernando who was recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the LPL was expected to be fit for the second Test initially but his recovery has been slow and will miss the final game as well.
Both Chandimal and de Silva made half centuries in the first innings as Sri Lanka piled up their highest innings total in South Africa and their absence will be greatly felt by the tourists who will at least look for a face-saving draw. “It’s going to be a big challenge as we don’t have our best 11 to play tomorrow. Having said that, we have got a group of youngsters who were waiting for this opportunity and I hope they will grab it with both hands with good performances,” skipper Karunaratne said at the pre-match virtual press conference last evening.
Also doubtful for the game is Wanindu Hasaranga, who had an impressive debut in the opening game picking up four wickets and scoring a half century. He was also expected to go through a fitness test last evening and if he fails Lasith Embuldeniya will join the playing XI.
Sri Lanka beat South Africa convincingly during their last visit to the country in 2018 to register a rare 2-0 whitewash — the first by any visiting Sri Lankan team. Trailing 1-0, it will be a tall order for the Lankans to outsmart their opponents to avoid a whitewash.
In the absence of Chandimal and de Silva, Lahiru Thirimanna and Bhanuka will make it to the playing XI but their biggest worry would be the absence of a potent bowling attack to challenge the South Africans who scored more than 600 runs in their innings victory at Centurion.
Meanwhile, South Africa is likely to retain the batting line-up that piled up 621 in their only innings in the first Test, and may recall fit-again fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
“I am not a big fan of going into Test match without a spinner. It’s very dangerous,” South Africa coach Mark Boucher said.
“As we saw with Sri Lanka (in the first Test), if they didn’t have a spinner, they would have struggled even more.”
They have won both previous Tests against the Lankans in Johannesburg by an innings.
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