Daijiworld Media Network
Colombo, Apr 3 : Welcome to the second and final Test between Sri Lanka and England from the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Sri Lanka are on a high after winning their first Test at home since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. A draw or a win in this Test will give Sri Lanka their first Test series victory since 2009.
England, on the other hand, have now lost four consecutive Tests. Their vulnerability against spin has been thoroughly exposed and they have an uphill battle in this Test as well. A loss or a draw will result in England losing the No.1 Test ranking to South Africa. Thus, the message is clear for England. They have to win or they will relinquish the top spot in Tests.
Stuart Broad has been ruled out of this Test match due to a calf injury. Steven Finn or Tim Bresnan might feature in the game today. This is England's first Test at the P Sara Oval after 30 years. The last time they played at this venue was in 1982 which also happened to be Sri Lanka's inaugural Test match.
Chandimal performed relatively well in the first Test. Mathews has just recovered from injury and he has not had much practice since the CB series final in Australia. Is the decision to drop Chandimal for this match a harsh one? Have your say!
Pitch Report: It is a very hot day. There has not been much rain and the pitch is dry with lots of cracks. For the moment, the cracks are solid and there is a fair covering of grass. Nick Knight points out statistically that in the last five Tests, teams batting second have won four times.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat
Andrew Strauss states that the team is much balanced with three pacers and two spinners. He laments that the decision to drop Panesar was a tough one.
Mahela Jayawardene, during the toss, said that Sri Lanka will want to win this series 2-0. He said that Thirimanne is an opener and that is why he has kept him in the team. It was a very tough decision to drop Chandimal.
Teams:
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene(c), Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene(w), Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad
England (Playing XI): Andrew Strauss(c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior(w), Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, James Anderson, Steven Finn