Sri Lanka have long been feared for their spin bowlers but the team has decided that speed is the future, and it will be tested against Bangladesh from today. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has the most Test wickets and Rangana Herath is the most successful left-arm spinner.
But since Herath’s retirement three years ago, Sri Lankan spin has lost its potency. So Sri Lanka have embraced pace strategy for the two Test series against Bangladesh, to be held in a bio-secure bubble at the Pallekele ground.
And the shift towards pace is a long-term strategy, according to skipper Dimuth Karunaratne. “Spin used to be our strength but not anymore,” he said. “Our seamers have done a pretty good job in recent months. We have Suranga Lakmal who bowled so well in the Caribbean and was named player of the series. So we are backing our seamers and see what we can get out of them. The spinners we have are young and raw.”
Lakmal is backed by Lahiru Kumara, who frequently clocks 150 kilometres per hour and is making a comeback having missed a just concluded West Indies tour after testing positive for coronavirus. Lakmal and Kumara are expected to share the new ball with Vishwa Fernando, a left-arm seamer who would provide variety.  Karunaratne said he expects former skipper Angelo Mathews to bowl as well although the veteran has only been used sparingly in recent Tests.
Mathews returned early from the Caribbean for personal reasons and Pathum Nissanka who replaced him scored a hundred on his debut. With Nissanka keeping his place and Mathews returning, one of the batters has to give way. All the indications are that former skipper Dinesh Chandimal will lose his place. But the hosts could also make Chandimal wicketkeeper and axe Niroshan Dickwella.

Bangladesh call up uncapped pacer
Bangladesh included rookie pacer Shoriful Islam in their 15-man squad for the opening match . Bangladesh are badly in need of some good results in Sri Lanka, having won just one of their last nine Test matches. They suffered a home series defeat against a depleted West Indies side in February and lost all their matches in a tour of New Zealand in March.
Shoriful, a member of Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad, made his limited over debut during the recent tour in New Zealand but has yet to play any Test. The squad also included uncapped batsman Yasir Ali, who took part in a tour of Ireland in 2019 but did not play.
Bangladesh will miss the service of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman. Shakib and Mustafizur were granted leave for the ongoing Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, where they are playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
The team travelled to Sri Lanka on April 12 and played just one intra-squad match as part of their build-up for the series. “We didn’t have a great preparation but given the circumstances, we have prepared well. We trained for a couple of days, and then played a practice match,” skipper Mominul Haque said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
“We will get another training session today. You always have to adjust both mentally and physically in international cricket. I think it is best to be optimistic rather than worry about it,” he said.  

Squads
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Lahiru Thirimanna, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Roshen Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis and Praveen Jayawickrama.
Bangladesh: Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Liton Das, Mohamed Mithum, Mominul Haque, Mukidul Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan, Najmul Shanto, Nurul Hasan, Saif Hassan, Shadman Islam, Shohidul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Shuvagata Hom, Khaled Ahmed, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed and Yasir Ali.