Second Test against Kiwis begins at the SSC today :

Sri Lanka likely to go in with three spinners

Elmo Rodrigopulle

The Sri Lankans are contemplating playing three spinners against New Zealand in the Second and final Test beginning at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground today.The wicket at the SSC tends to become spin friendly as the game progresses and this would have prompted the final team selectors, captain Kumar Sangakkara and coach Trevor Bayliss to think about playing three spinners.

Their selection job has been made although the more easy because allrounder Angelo Mathews has still not fully recovered from the injury he picked up in the Galle Test.

With Mathews likely to be benched, left arm leg spinner Rangana Herath who was unlucky to miss the Galle Test after his heroics against Pakistan, will partner spin twins Muttiah Muralitheran and Ajantha Mendis and form a terrible spinning threesome.

The Lankans when they take the field today will do so with a certain amount of pride. And that pride stems from the fact that they are now second in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings. The Australians who lost the final Test to England by 197 runs at the Oval on Sunday and with it the treasured Ashes made it possible for the Lankans to grab that spot. Another win will see them consolidate that position.

The wicket at the SSC is known to play easy early on and help the batsmen and then become spin friendly.

This was proved during the Pakistan, Sri Lanka Test played recently where a lot of runs were made and the bowlers too had a chance of getting into the picture. It is important for the team winning the toss to bat first without any hesitation. Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori won the toss in Galle and gifted the Test to the Sri Lankans by inviting the home team to strike first. Obviously he was fooled by the slight moisture on the wicket.

Granted that the Kiwis got two early wickets. That of Tharanga Paranvitharne and skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

But that early success had nothing to with the wicket. It was due to poor shot making. And that the Kiwi bowlers could not ram home that early advantage speaks poorly for their lack of sting in their bowling. After the initial loss, batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena and Thilan Samaraweera made merry on a perfect batting pitch and made the Kiwis chase leather in hot and humid conditions that were not to their liking.

Dilshan made devastating knocks of 92 and 123 not out, while Jayawardena and Samaraweera made classy centuries which were examples to the Kiwi batsmen who were always struggling on a wicket that was playing easy.

Pity that Dilshan could not make twin centuries in his first attempt of facing the new ball in a Test as an opener. The captain calling correctly in this Test must bat. Not to do so would be to hand over the advantage to the other side and be at the receiving end for the rest of the game.

The Lankans will fire all cylinders to shoot down the Kiwis stuff them, enjoy and celebrate being second to the Australians in the world of Test cricket, which is what the game is all about.

The Lankans who fielded their best combination in the First Test are oozing with confidence. The batsmen did well to mount a big score and the bowlers, Thusara Mirando,Nuwan Kulasekera and the spin twins Muttiah Muralitheran and Ajantha Mendis struck telling blows to blow out the Kiwis. The Kiwi batsmen were clueless against the two spinners.

Getting down of former Pakistan spin champion Saqlain Mushtaq to show them how to read Muralitheran’s doosra was a lost cause, because they could not read Muralitheran at all. Reports have it that the Kiwis who suffered in Galle have all recovered and unless their top batsmen such as McIntosh, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCallum and Daniel Vettori make big runs they are doomed again.Vettorio was the only one to bat with purpose making good scores in both innings.

As for the Kiwi bowling, other than for Vettori again, the other bowlers look ordinary. Off spinner Jeetan Patel is just up and down stuff and has no variation and lacks the ability to work batsmen out

So over then to the SSC and a Lankan victory that would help them to savour their second slot in the ICC Test rankings.