The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Chittagong

After a heartwarming performance in the first Test, Bangladesh takes on visiting Sri Lanka in the 2nd match of the Grameenphone Series at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Ruhul Amin Stadium (BSSRAS) in Chittagong today (Saturday).

The match begins at 9:30 am.

Ahead of the encounter, the two teams had their last sessions of practice at the match venue today (Friday) -- the home side in the morning and the tourists in the afternoon.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference this morning, Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful expressed his optimism about putting their best as this test will be the beginning to the New Year.

He said: "We start the New Year with a lot of confidence because of our second innings performance in the first Test in Dhaka. We are getting better as a team and the boys believe that. This year, we will have plenty of opportunities to show our improvement. We will try to play well in this Test match."

Asked about the team composition and the wicket, Ashraful said the wicket here is very dry and devoid of grass, almost similar to the track that they played on against New Zealand in October.

"It looks like a pitch where the spinners may play a role. We've retained the same 12 we had given before the first Test with Rajin (Saleh) and Sajedul (Islam) out. There is a good chance that Enam (Haque Jr.) might come in. I think he deserves to play on this track. If he plays then it will be in place of a pace bowler and in that case (Mahbubul Alam) Robin will be left out."

Regarding Sri Lanka's mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis who is likely to play in this Test, Ashraful said that some of them have played Mendis in ODIs during the Asia Cup. "But one-dayers and Test matches are different. Mushie (Mushfiqur Rahim) and Roqibul (Hassan) played him quite well. We've seen him bowling against India on television. We also have footages but it is important not to think of him or Muralitharan too much and just try to play ball by ball."

About his comment that Bangladesh batters read Muralitharan better despite his taking so many wickets, Ashraful said: "He (Muralitharan) is world class and takes wickets against every opposition. Still I think that we are reading him better but we have to show that over a long period of time. Too often, we have only done that for short periods."

Ashraful, who scored 101 in the 2nd innings of the first Test, however stressed the need to bat four sessions at least in the first innings. "If we do that then we'll have a decent score on the board. That's the pre-requisite for us getting a positive result in Test matches and a positive result can be a win also," he said.

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene on the other hand thinks that this test will be the start of another important year for them.

"Last year, we beat India in a Test series, drew England and beat the West Indies in the West Indies for the first time in our history. This is a new year and we have a lot of cricket in front of us. Good to see Ajantha (Mendis) back. We'll make a decision on him after our practice session. The boys are very keen to start afresh," he said at a pre-match press conference in the afternoon.

Asked about his feelings on the eve of his 100th Test appearance, Mahela, who is 74 runs away from getting into the elite 8000-run club, said: "A little bit maybe, but I can't say that I'm not emotional. I'm not thinking about the personal milestone. It has been an honour to play for Sri lanka and I've said this before that I never expected to play 100 Test matches when I started off. I want to enjoy the day and the moment and I would love to perform and lead the team to victory in this match."

Bangladesh (12): Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Roqibul Hassan, Mehrab Hossain Jr., Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Enamul Haque Jr., Mahbubul Alam.

Sri Lanka (probable): Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dishan, Prasanna Jayawardene (Wicketkeeper), Chaminda Vaas, Dammika Prasad, Muttiah Muraliatharan, Ajantha Mendis.