Will pitch be any different from the one used in first Test?

After the Pallekele pitch offered very little help to the bowlers in the first Test which ended in a draw, hosts Sri Lanka will be looking for a different approach when they take on Bangladesh in the second and final Test at the same venue from today.

The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch in which the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was played received a below-average rating by the match referee. And the hosts will surely want to come up with a better surface and a different strategy for the second Test.

The pitch remained batting-friendly throughout the first Test, resulting in a total of 1289 runs being scored in the match for the loss of 17 wickets at an average of 75.82 runs per wicket, and, therefore, received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

Sri Lanka included left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan and fast bowler Chamika Karunaratne for the second Test, indicating the hosts may opt for a spin strategy against the visitors after the green top at Pallekele hardly offered any assistance to the seamers in the opener.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have retained the same 15 from the first Test squad for today's game with head coach Russell Domingo hinting that the Tigers might go with the same strategy of having five bowlers and six batsmen in the line-up.

Pacers Taskin Ahmed and Abu Jayed are the two pacers who are expected to play the second Test. However, it is uncertain if the team management would replace Ebadot Hossain to include uncapped young left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam.

But, unlike the first Test where spinners struggled to get turn off the surface and were unable to trouble the batters, the spin duo of Taijul Islam and Mehedi Hasan Miraz will surely play a huge role in the second Test with the pitch touted to be different than the first Test.

From batting's point of view, the visitors will once again bank on the top order, especially on experienced Tamim Iqbal, who was flawless and struck fifties in both the innings of the first Test.

According to Domingo, the team management would want to give opener Saif Hassan another chance despite the right-hander managing to score 0 and 1 in the first Test.

Batting will once again hold the key for the Tigers where the likes of Najmul Hossain Shanto, who struck his maiden Test hundred in the opener, alongside skipper Mominul Haque, who also registered his maiden ton away from home, will have to play a vital role.

Bangladesh's confident approach of fielding six batters would also mean that experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and wicket-keeper batsman Liton Das would also have a big responsibility in the middle order.