Rajitha, Jayawickrama in for second Test

Kasun Rajitha (3rd from right celebrates one of his four wickets

Fast bowler Kasun Rajitha earned a place in Sri Lanka’s team that will start the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur today, on the back of his impressive figures in the first Test.

Rajitha came in as a Concussion Substitute on the third day of the first Test in Chattogram, in place of Vishwa Fernando who on the previous day had been hit on the head while batting, and took four wickets for 60 runs – his inclusion in today’s second Test a no brainer.

Sri Lanka Head Coach Chris Silverwood had words of praise for Rajitha, and his fastbowling partner Asitha Fernando, who together accounted for seven of the nine wickets Bangladesh lost in their first innings.

“He was excellent, as was Asitha (Fernando). I thought the way that they continued and the heart that they showed on what was a flat wicket, the two of them were exceptional, and that showed in their wickets column. Kasun (Rajitha) came in and bowled exceptionally well, he got movement and he held his line and lengths and he got his rewards for that,” Silverwood said on the eve of the second Test.

Sri Lanka did well to hold on to a draw, after both teams piled up runs over the first three days on a flat wicket, before the wicket started showing signs of deterioration, and Bangladesh pried out four of the eight Sri Lankan wickets they needed.

However, unable to remove either Dinesh Chandimal or Niroshan Dickwella as the seventh wicket pair remained unbeaten with a partnership of 99 to take Sri Lanka to a draw.

Bangladesh will be forced to make atleast two changes with Nayeem Hasan, their best bowler in the first Test, and  Shoriful Islam to miss out due to injury.

Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya has been replaced by another left-arm spinner in Praveen Jayawickrama, with the rest of the team remaining the same as the first Test.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha
Bangladesh (likely): Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain