On paper, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are heading into the Dhaka Test with an equal chance of winning the series. The first Test in Chattogram ended in a drab draw where batsmen made merry on a placid wicket while the bowlers battled hard under sweltering heat with little to show for their efforts.
In Dhaka, however, the match is unlikely to end in a draw. The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur hasn’t produced a draw Test in over seven years. The wicket in Mirpur traditionally provides turn from Day 1 and the pitch condition deteriorates as the game progresses.
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have a number of spinners in their attack who should relish the opportunity to play in Mirpur after the hardships they endured in Chattogram.
Although Bangladesh will be without their star spinner from the first Test, Nayeem Hasan, owing to an injury, Bangladesh still possess a superior spin attack compared to Sri Lanka as they have the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam in the attack.
The presence of the two experienced spinners should give Bangladesh the edge over Sri Lanka in the second Test. But the Tigers’ record when they head into series deciding games after drawing the opening match of a two-Test series doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
Before the ongoing series, the Tigers managed to draw the first match of a two-Test series 10 times. Three of those draws came against Sri Lanka, two against the West Indies and one each against Zimbabwe, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Pakistan. Seven of those draws came in home Tests and the other three were in away games.
But no matter where the series took place or who it was against, Bangladesh have never managed to win the second Test of a two-Test series after the first match ended in a draw.
In fact, Bangladesh have lost eight of those 10 series by suffering a defeat in the second game. The other two series ended in a draw after the second game also ended without a victor. The drawn series were at home against New Zealand and South Africa in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
Bangladesh’s record against Sri Lanka also doesn’t offer a lot of hope as the Tigers have missed similar opportunities to seal their maiden series win in Tests over the island nation the last two times they faced off in cricket’s most regal format.
Bangladesh’s previous home Test series against Sri Lanka was in 2018. The first Test in Chattogram ended in a draw. But in the second Test in Dhaka, Sri Lankan spinners bundled out the hosts for 110 and 123 in the two innings as the tourists won the match by 215 runs and the series 0-1.
The Tigers then toured Sri Lanka in 2021 and after securing a draw in Pallekele, Bangladesh suffered a 209-run defeat in the second Test, with Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama claiming 11 wickets.
Bangladesh had a chance to push for a win in the Chattogram Test. But the hosts opted for the safe option on the fourth day, didn’t show any intent to score quickly to gain a sizable first innings lead and as a result the match ended in a bland draw.
The onus is now on the hosts to be more assertive in the Dhaka Test to push for their maiden series win over the Lankan side. However, if they fail to break the cycle of losing the second Test when the series is squared up, they will have no one else but themselves to blame for the missed opportunity.