The two-day practise match against BCB XI being rained out won’t make a big difference – Karunaratne

Dimuth Karunaratne said that the Sri Lankan camp isn’t concerned about the two-match Test series being rained out because they had prepared for it at home and the conditions in Bangladesh are similar. On May 15, Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka in the first match of the series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

The two-day practise match between the visiting Sri Lankan team and the BCB XI ended in a boring stalemate at the BKSP-3 site as rain limited the play to just 18.2 overs. When the umpires called the game off on the final day, Sri Lanka XI enjoyed a 50-1 lead.

“I believe we prepared for a few weeks in Sri Lanka, and the circumstances are very comparable, so I don’t think the practise match will make a significant difference,” the Sri Lanka captain stated. “We’ve had enough of practise here and are well prepared for the series,” he continued. Meanwhile, Shakib, who was ruled out of the first Test due to COVID-19, has tested negative on May 12 and is back in contention for the series opener.

On his part, Karunaratne said that the think tank has already made arrangements for the all-rounder. And they’d want to keep to the blueprint. “We had a strategy for Shakib when he was there, and we’ll have one for him as well.” He is the most complete player. We’ll give it our all and see how things turn out.”

Karunaratne also said that the team is more concerned with the Test series than with the current scenario in Sri Lanka. “Everyone is aware of the situation. We’ve come to play cricket, and cricket is the only thing that concerns us. The only thing we can do is help the people who live there.”