Sri Lanka are in for even colder, tougher conditions when the second Test against England gets underway on Friday at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street in Durham.
“Though the real feel indicated 2, felt like minus 2 this morning. Perhaps the coldest day ever encountered in my life absolute shocker but no complaints from the boys.”
Sri Lanka manager Charith Senanayake posted on his personal Facebook account on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka have never played a Test match in Durham before whereas their counterparts England have won all five games they have played at this venue, which is known to be one of the coldest venues in the United Kingdom.
Sri Lanka will be saddled with the near-impossible task of upsetting the hosts after a below par performance in the first Test where the Englishmen wrapped up the game inside three days even after several rain interruptions.
The Lankan openers got back indoors rather than taking away the shine of the new Duke ball in Leeds while Kusal Mendis’ second-innings half-century was the only spark in the cold. The young right-hander might be looking for a longer stay at the prestigious No.3 position.
“It’s a big responsibility. I’ve played there before for my club, and I’ve been thinking about what is possible for me and what needs to be done there. I have to contribute runs to stay in that position and the team.” Mendis said confidently.
Captain Angelo Mathews and his deputy Dinesh Chandimal contributed little to nothing with the bat in the 1st game while Lahiru Thirimanne dug in at the crease for the most minutes and balls for the Islanders as the rest were blown away by James Anderson and Co for only 91 and 119 in both the innings; the moving ball getting the better of the Sri Lankan batsmen once again.
The Lankan bowlers were encouraging, and troubled the hosts’ early on but their woes with cleaning up the tail continued. Half of the English side were back in the pavilion with just 83 on the board but the brilliance of Jonny Bairstow helped them reach what was eventually a match-winning total of 298.
England captain Alastair Cook missed out on the opportunity of becoming the first Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs in Headingley but he is shy of only 20 runs and will be itching to raise his bat in Durham.
Team News – Sri Lanka
Fast-bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake confirmed that Suranga Lakmal will partner up with Nuwan Pradeep and Shaminda Eranga in place of injured Dushmantha Chameera, “Suranga is bowling really well in the nets and is an experienced guy, and he will fill up that role. These three are quite experienced, having played more than 20 Tests.” Ramanayake stated.
With wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Janith Perera only expected to reach England on Saturday, the visitors are unlikely to make any more changes to their team. Dasun Shanaka had a dream debut with the ball but a forgettable outing with the bat. The selectors will be tempted to recall Milinda Siriwardena but the value of a young medium pacer in swinging conditions might help him keep his place.
Probable XI – Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (Captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep.
Team News – England
With a winning formula working well at Headingley, it would be a surprise to see England make more than one change to their starting XI. Chris Woakes is the likely candidate to replace injured Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes, which will somewhat weaken the English batting.
Probable XI – Cook (Captain), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.
Pitch and Weather
Gloomy and wet conditions are expected all throughout the five days but the sun might peek out as the game progresses on day 3 and 4. The pitch will certainly assist the seamers and will have much better carry to the keeper than was seen in Headingley.
Final Say
Sri Lanka will have to be at the top of their game to cause an upset but that too will have to come in unfamiliar conditions with a fine view of Lumley Castle over the open eastern side from the west and south stands. England are the firm favourites to run over their opponents yet again as winter is certainly coming for the Lankans!
Do you think Sri Lanka can cope up with the cold condition in Durham? State your opinion below.
