Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh – 1st Test Betting Tips

Host Sri Lanka will be looking to produce a decent show when they take on Bangladesh in the opening game of the two-match Test series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka will be looking to end their winless streak in the five-day format in this home series. The Islanders are currently lying at eighth position in the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship with 120 points to their name. Dimuth Karunaratne will be hoping that the side can start this Test series on a positive note.

On the other hand, Bangladesh have suffered from a terminal decline in the five-day format. Captain Mominul Haque will be hoping that the side can adjust to the conditions and put up a strong fight against Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series.

Both teams have competed in 20 Tests in the history of the five-day format where Sri Lanka have an upper hand with 16 wins to their name. Interestingly, Bangladesh’s only Test win came in Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2017.

Sri Lanka Form and Team News:

The selectors have decided to stick with the core group of players that featured in the two-match Test series played in the Caribbean. Uncapped left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has earned his maiden call-up to the Test side for this series.

All-rounder Angelo Matthews and pacer Lahiru Kumara make their return to the Test squad after missing the previous series in the Caribbean due to various reasons.

In the batting department, the side will be relying on the likes of opener Lahiru Thiramanne, Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, and Oshada Fernando to deliver the bulk of the runs.

In the previous series against West Indies, opener Lahiru Thiramanne showed excellent form with the bat. In two matches played, Thiramanne topped the batting charts for Sri Lanka with 240 runs at an average of 60.00 with three half-centuries to his name.

Besides Thiramanne, Oshada Fernando showed consistency with the bat and smashed two half-centuries in the previous series against West Indies.

Pathum Nissanka has been a valuable find for Sri Lanka in the middle-order in all three formats. He scored his maiden Test century for Sri Lanka in the opening Test played at Antigua.

With Angelo Matthews fit and available for selection, Dinesh Chandimal or Pathum Nissanka will fight it out for a place in the playing XI for the series opener.

In the bowling department, the onus will be on the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Vishwa Fernando to make crucial breakthroughs in this fixture.

Pacer Dushmantha Chameera is set to miss the home series due to personal reasons. Lahiru Kumara, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Asitha Fernando are the other prominent bowling options for this series opener.

Bangladesh Form and Team News:

Earlier this year, Bangladesh suffered a 2-0 whitewash at the hands of the West Indies in a two-match series played at home.

Since March 2019, Bangladesh have lost six Test matches out of seven played till now. The visitors have announced their preliminary squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka.

With premier players like Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman not available for the Test series, the selectors have included uncapped pacers Shahidul Islam and Mukidul Islam for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka

In the batting department, the onus will be on the experienced batting trio of Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, and Mushfiqur Rahim to deliver the bulk of the runs.

Since Jan 2020, Skipper Mominul Haque has shown excellent form with the bat and topped the batting charts for Bangladesh in the five-day format. In four matches played, Mominul has scored 391 runs at an average of 55.85 with two centuries to his name.

Besides Mominul Haque, Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraaz showed excellent form for the side in the series played against West Indies.

In the bowling department, the onus will be on the spin duo of Mehidy Hasan Miraaz and Taijul Islam to make crucial breakthroughs in this contest. Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, and Nurul Hasan are other bowling options for Bangladesh for this fixture.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, Host Sri Lanka will be favorites to win this Test series opener at Pallekele. For the first Test, Sri Lanka are at 1.53 odds, while Bangladesh at 4.20 odds.

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Our Tipster’s Angle

Based on current form, Sri Lanka will be confident of doing well in this two-match Test series against Bangladesh. After managing to draw the series in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka will be looking to bring their A-game to the table in this contest.

The big positive from the previous series was rookie players like Oshada Fernando and Pathum Nissanka doing exceedingly well with the bat for Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, Bangladesh will have to make significant improvements in a bid to push Sri Lanka close in this series opener.

Therefore, the prediction is for Sri Lanka to register a comfortable win in the first Test.

Tip 1: Mushfiqur Rahim’s excellent record in Sri Lanka in Test cricket

Wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim will be looking to get back amongst the runs in this series. After a below-average outing with the bat in the home series against West Indies, Mushfiqur Rahim will be determined to deliver big runs for Bangladesh in this two-match series.

The 33-year old will take heart from the fact that he holds an excellent record against Sri Lanka in Test cricket. In Tests played in Sri Lanka, Mushfiqur Rahim has accumulated 541 runs in 11 innings at an average of 60.11 with one century and three half-centuries to his name.

Given his excellent numbers against Islanders in the five-day format, we are expecting Mushfiqur Rahim to score 40 runs or more in this series [email protected].

Tip 2:- Sri Lanka’s superior record against Bangladesh in the five-day format

In 11 Test matches played in Sri Lanka, the home side has won ten matches against Bangladesh. After securing a draw against West Indies in the two-match Test series played in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka will see this home series as a great opportunity to break their losing streak in Test cricket.

Given their formidable head-to-head record, we are expecting Sri Lanka to register a comfortable at [email protected].

Conclusion

Expect Sri Lanka to beat Bangladesh by a comfortable margin in the series opener at Pallekele.

1. Mushfiqur Rahim to score 40 runs or more in this series opener- [email protected]
2. Sri Lanka to register a comfortable at Pallekele- Sri [email protected]

 

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