SSC and the Series Decider — What to Expect at Sri Lanka’s Lord’s

 

Image: RevSportz

Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo

The setting is Colombo, not Galle. There are no sweeping coastal views here, nor any dramatic backdrop. Instead, there is a small ground in the heart of the city, steeped in the memories of Sri Lankan cricket. The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) has been one of the island’s principal Test venues since the early 1990s and has come to be regarded as Sri Lanka’s own Lord’s.

Walk through the gates and the past seems to follow. The roll call is extraordinary. Arjuna Ranatunga, Mahela Jayawardene, Marvan Atapattu, Sidath Wettimuny and Dimuth Karunaratne have all worn the club’s colours.

And what performances it has witnessed.

Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara produced a 624-run partnership, which remains a world record. Muttiah Muralitharan claimed 166 of his 800 Test wickets at the SSC, still the highest number of Test wickets taken by a bowler at a single venue.

Team RevSportz arrived at the historic venue on the same day that India travelled from Galle to Colombo. This time, however, there was no chance encounter with members of the Indian team, as there had been in Galle.

A quick recap — Gautam Gambhir, along with Sitanshu Kotak and Sairaj Bahutule, arrived at Galle Stadium for a surprise inspection of the pitch. Visuals of the visit were exclusively shared by RevSportz. This time, despite the long wait, no one from the Indian camp turned up. This was not surprising, as they were due to arrive for practice early on Friday morning at the SSC.

Now, two days before the series-deciding second Test, the pitch has once again become the centre of attention. The pitch was being watered generously, offering an early clue, or perhaps another question, about what awaits.

After Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten indirectly underlined the advantage of being able to prepare your own wickets in a home Test series, the pitch for the second Test will be under the microscope following Sri Lanka’s loss in the series opener.

On Thursday, upon zooming in on the pitch, there were no signs of grass. The brownish-coloured square was covered after being watered. With two days to go, and alongside their preparations, the Indian team will be keen to see what kind of wicket is being prepared.

There will be help for the spinners for sure, as there will be dryness beneath the surface given the hot conditions in the island nation’s capital.

Unlike Galle, Sri Lanka have a better overall and recent record at this venue. A bit of time travel will take you back to the pre-2015 era, during which Sri Lanka won 18 Tests, with 14 ending in draws. Since 2015, they have won four of their last seven Test matches. Their last two wins at the venue were comprehensive.

At their home of cricket, Sri Lanka still enjoy playing, and the results suggest as much. But against India, they have not won since 2008. Then, Sri Lanka batted once and batted big to win the match. This is something they will look to do once again when they take on India, as they seek to avoid a hat-trick of losses to the same opposition at the venue.

From the outset, the pitch looks unlikely to be a turner, but things will become clearer as match day approaches. And if it is not a lottery pitch, then how well Sri Lanka bat will determine how close this game will be.

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The post SSC and the Series Decider — What to Expect at Sri Lanka’s Lord’s appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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