Madushanka and Asitha return for second Test
Dilshan Madushanka
Left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka is in contention to make his Test debut on Monday as Sri Lanka has decided to bring in both Madushanka and Asitha Fernando for the must-win second Test against Pakistan.
The decision comes after both Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha struggled to make an impact in the first Test which the hosts lost by four wickets. The defeat put Sri Lanka in a must-win situation to square up the two-match series and put points in the new World Test Championships (WTC) cycle points table.
Vishwa Fernando finished with figures of 1/75 bowling 20 overs in the match while Rajitha had figures of 1/77 in 19 overs on a spin-friendly track.
The 22-year-old Madushanka was not part of the original squad but was picked as a replacement for Asitha Fernando, who needed more rest after contracting dengue. Although he has little first class experience, having played only nine matches in his short career, he has shown tremendous promise, and team’s think-tank believes it’s the right time to hand the young seamer an opportunity to shine in red-ball cricket.
Despite being a late inclusion into the World Cup Qualifier as an injury replacement to Dushmantha Chameera, he played a significant role in the latter part of the tournament to help Sri Lanka win the trophy in Zimbabwe.
Right-arm seamer Asitha Fernando has been Sri Lanka’s first-choice fast bowler in recent months and his return will bolster the seam attack which looked mediocre in Galle.
Spin duo Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya will have their work cut out on a good Test wicket that will push the skills of the spin duo who took most of their wickets on the turning Galle track. Out of Mendis’s 63 wickets, 56 have been in Galle while Jayasuriya had taken 53 wickets out of his 57 scalps at Galle.
This means the wait for a Test debut new face Lakshitha Manasinghe, a 23-year old offspin-bowling allrounder will continue.
The batting order remains untouched and Sri Lanka will hope the star-studded batting line-up will convert their starts to big scores to propel Sri Lanka to a series leveling win.
Apart from Dhananjaya de Silva (122 & 82) only Angelo Mathews (64) and Nishan Madushka (52) managed scores above 50 in the two innings. Apart from batting,
Sri Lanka’s poor fielding was on show in Galle as the visitors capitalised on dropped opportunities to pile misery on the Sri Lankans. Come Monday, Sri Lanka must put up a concerted effort in the field as it has the potential to create the difference between a loss and a win. Most games are won and lost by narrow margins.
It will be the first time in five years Sri Lanka is hosting a Test match at the SSC ground, known as home of cricket in Sri Lanka. They last hosted England in November 2018 which resulted in a close 42-run defeat to Sri Lanka.