Sri Lanka will head into the second and final Test against Bangladesh talking up fast bowling once again. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva, overseeing his first full World Test Championship cycle, is leaning towards fielding three seamers in Colombo even though the surface looks typically flat.
“We’ve got 12 in the squad, and we’ve got options, because our weather is changing from time to time as well,” he said the day before the match. “We were hoping to go with three seamers, but it’s hard to tell exactly – the pitch also looks flat.”
Recent history backs his thinking. The last Bangladesh–Sri Lanka series was dominated by pace, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha sharing 29 wickets and finishing top of the bowling charts. Asitha Fernando is virtually guaranteed a spot this week, with Rajitha and Vishwa jostling for the remaining places. Uncapped right-armer Isitha Wijesundara stays in the squad as cover.
“Not just in the last series in Bangladesh, even in the previous one it was pace that got a lot of wickets,” de Silva noted. “We talked a lot about how the seamers got about 70% of their wickets. But it’s not easy to play seamers on these pitches, but we’re trying to play three. Let’s see what the pitch is like tomorrow morning.”
The Test is Sri Lanka’s last scheduled outing in the format for 11 months, but there is no sense of marking time. Angelo Mathews’ retirement has left a sizeable hole at No 4 and, for now, de Silva intends to fill it himself. The move brings obvious risk. He averages 43.95 in the comfort of No 6 yet a modest 20.33 from six previous innings at No 4.
Asked who will replace Mathews, the skipper laughed before committing. “If you think I’m good enough, I’m ready to bat at four,” he said. “I’m set to bat there.” Statistics show he was patchy at No 3 earlier in his career – one memorable rearguard hundred against India but an average of 32.88 across 18 innings – yet his overall numbers have trended up since 2020. In that time he has scored at 43.85, a clear jump on his pre-2020 mark of 34.47.
Finding a new No 6 is the next puzzle. De Silva has made a point of blooding youngsters – Lahiru Udara and Tharindu Ratnayake debuted in the first Test – and another newcomer is on standby. Left-arm-spinning all-rounder Sonal Dinusha, with seven first-class centuries and 99 wickets, is favourite to earn a cap.
“With the wicket the way it is and if we need a spinner, I think Sonal is the best option,” the captain said. “For now there’s a big chance he will play.”
The option of three quicks plus Dinusha’s spin would leave only one specialist slow bowler, risky in Sri Lankan conditions yet consistent with the captain’s broader aim: develop a pace group that can win abroad. Sri Lanka’s seam stocks are healthy on paper, but a tighter domestic calendar and the temptation of spin at home often stall long-term progress. De Silva’s willingness to gamble suggests the management shares his view that hard overs now will pay dividends in England and Australia later in the cycle.
Bangladesh, still licking wounds from a heavy defeat in Sylhet, will not mind if more fast bowling comes their way. They played Dilshan Madushanka well in the opening Test but lost to sustained pressure from the supporting seamers. How they respond to a potentially stronger pace trio could decide the series.
The hosts, meanwhile, have their own motivation: a win would push them up the WTC table before that long winter without red-ball cricket. A defeat would leave Sri Lanka searching for answers during an extended break, and de Silva knows it.
He speaks quietly but with intent, aware that his choices this week – three quicks or two, himself at four, a debutant at six – will shape perceptions of his tenure. For now, the captain seems settled. Conditions might shift overnight, and selection meetings can spring surprises, yet the central theme remains clear. Sri Lanka want their fast bowlers front and centre, even at home, and the skipper has gone on record to say so. The rest of the series narrative will flow from that single, deliberate call.
