Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that the team has a good chance of being a strong contender in the World Test Championship if they can maintain their winning streak at home.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha is optimistic about his team's chances in the World Test Championship, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a winning streak at home. The Tigers, who finished in 9th position in the last two cycles, have already tasted success on home soil by defeating New Zealand in the previous year. Additionally, they secured victories against Afghanistan and Ireland in solitary Test matches, although those matches were not part of the Test Championship.
As Bangladesh prepares to face Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series, Hathurusingha believes that his charges have the ability to pass this stern test. He expressed high expectations for Test cricket in this cycle and highlighted the significance of winning matches at home to remain in contention for the latter stages of the World Test Championship. However, he acknowledged that upcoming away series against higher-ranked teams would pose significant challenges.
The Bangladesh team received a setback when experienced batter Mushfiqur Rahim was ruled out of the test series due to a thumb injury sustained during the third ODI. Towhid Hridoy has been included in the squad as his replacement. While acknowledging the loss of Mushfiqur's experience, Hathurusingha expressed confidence in the young players and urged them to seize the opportunity.
In head-to-head encounters, Sri Lanka has never lost a Test match on Bangladeshi soil, winning seven out of ten matches and drawing the remaining three. However, Bangladesh secured a historic Test victory against Sri Lanka in 2017 in Colombo, marking their 100th Test match.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva expressed confidence in his team's ability to maintain their winning trend in Bangladesh. He highlighted the experience of senior players in the squad, including Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Dinesh Chandimal, as a key advantage.
The two teams recently competed in white-ball cricket, with Sri Lanka winning the T20 series 2-1 and Bangladesh securing victory in the ODI series. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming Test series as both teams aim to make their mark in the World Test Championship.
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