Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Vaskiy]

The way in which the top order performed surprised me after loosing one of the opener for a duck they took the match away from Sri Lanka and the rest of the players performed big and without the presence of Shakib and Mustafizur they might struggle taking 20 wickets as some mentioned earlier. Will see how the match goes and Sri Lanka will be happy with a draw from this situation.

Draw would be great for Sri Lanka, but I really doubt whether they'll be able to do it. Right now Bangladesh is at a very comfortable position, at 474/4. They should be able to reach somewhere around 550-600 before the end of first session today, which means that Sri Lanka needs to score 350-400 to start with, in order to avoid follow on. But here the catch is that Bangladesh is missing some of the most experienced bowlers. So can they limit Sri Lanka to less than 350-400 in the first innings? And if they are able to do that, should they ask Sri Lanka to follow on?

I think the match will be a draw. Bangladesh declared the innings after scoring 541 runs. Good enough batting. But the Bangladesh squad has very few experienced and skilled bowlers. So I think the Test match will be a draw. Sri Lanka has already scored 141 runs for the loss of just one wicket.

Yes, this match is going to be a draw. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets by the end of day 3 and trail by 312 runs. In the remaining two days there is more chance for wickets as the pitch changes after few days of play. Even after that it is quite impossible to get a result. This will make the second match more fighting, because winner takes the series.

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[Sithara007]

Yes, this match is going to be a draw. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets by the end of day 3 and trail by 312 runs. In the remaining two days there is more chance for wickets as the pitch changes after few days of play. Even after that it is quite impossible to get a result. This will make the second match more fighting, because winner takes the series.

Bangladesh made the mistake of batting slowly in the second day. Mushfiqur Rahim in particular wasted a lot of balls, and he eventually made 68 from 156 balls. This is what happens when individual players put their records ahead of the team. Had they scored around 550-600, then it would have been possible to force Sri Lanka to follow on. But that looks unlikely now, since the lead is only 312 now. Sri Lanka should easily avoid follow on, if there is no batting collapse today. 

[JSRAW]

Yes, this match is going to be a draw. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets by the end of day 3 and trail by 312 runs. In the remaining two days there is more chance for wickets as the pitch changes after few days of play. Even after that it is quite impossible to get a result. This will make the second match more fighting, because winner takes the series.

Bangladesh made the mistake of batting slowly in the second day. Mushfiqur Rahim in particular wasted a lot of balls, and he eventually made 68 from 156 balls. This is what happens when individual players put their records ahead of the team. Had they scored around 550-600, then it would have been possible to force Sri Lanka to follow on. But that looks unlikely now, since the lead is only 312 now. Sri Lanka should easily avoid follow on, if there is no batting collapse today. 

They missed the trick, its entirely possible that they just didn't want to lose the test and wanted to secure their position first and that's where they made a mistake of not declaring their first inning early, 475+ runs were enough to keep them in the game and make thing interesting but they went to bat one more session.

In recent time I don't remember which team forced a follow on.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Yes, this match is going to be a draw. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets by the end of day 3 and trail by 312 runs. In the remaining two days there is more chance for wickets as the pitch changes after few days of play. Even after that it is quite impossible to get a result. This will make the second match more fighting, because winner takes the series.

Bangladesh made the mistake of batting slowly in the second day. Mushfiqur Rahim in particular wasted a lot of balls, and he eventually made 68 from 156 balls. This is what happens when individual players put their records ahead of the team. Had they scored around 550-600, then it would have been possible to force Sri Lanka to follow on. But that looks unlikely now, since the lead is only 312 now. Sri Lanka should easily avoid follow on, if there is no batting collapse today. 

They missed the trick, its entirely possible that they just didn't want to lose the test and wanted to secure their position first and that's where they made a mistake of not declaring their first inning early, 475+ runs were enough to keep them in the game and make thing interesting but they went to bat one more session.

In recent time I don't remember which team forced a follow on.

Bangladesh team does not have an experienced captain, they do not have a very experienced bowler. They did not declare the innings in time. Had there been an experienced captain, they would not have made such a wrong decision. Now they are paying for the mistake. Sri Lanka has scored 314 runs and lost just 3 wickets. It is easy to guess that the match will be a draw.

[Mahdirakib]

Bangladesh team does not have an experienced captain, they do not have a very experienced bowler. They did not declare the innings in time. Had there been an experienced captain, they would not have made such a wrong decision. Now they are paying for the mistake. Sri Lanka has scored 314 runs and lost just 3 wickets. It is easy to guess that the match will be a draw.

Bangladeshi bowlers are good enough to take the wickets but the pitch isn't favourable to bowlers. Day 4 has ended now. Sri Lanka hasn't lost any wickets today. Both batsman played very well. Bowler had nothing to do in this kind of pitch but they could create pressure by giving a lot of dot balls. Bangladeshi bowler wasn't able to create any pressure there. Now we can expect nothing than a draw of this test match.

[ene1980]

Bangladeshi bowler wasn't able to create any pressure there. Now we can expect nothing than a draw of this test match.

So the demon was in the pitch that is helping the batsman, Sri Lanka created a pitch so that they do not get humiliated and now it is a run fest as both the teams can score easily, i thought the pitch would turn in the final two days but i did not see any difference and Dimuth Karunaratne scored his first double century and Dhananjaya de Silva is playing the supporting role and i do not see them declaring the innings unless they have over 300 runs lead.

[Vaskiy]

Bangladeshi bowler wasn't able to create any pressure there. Now we can expect nothing than a draw of this test match.

So the demon was in the pitch that is helping the batsman, Sri Lanka created a pitch so that they do not get humiliated and now it is a run fest as both the teams can score easily, i thought the pitch would turn in the final two days but i did not see any difference and Dimuth Karunaratne scored his first double century and Dhananjaya de Silva is playing the supporting role and i do not see them declaring the innings unless they have over 300 runs lead.

End of day 4 Sri Lanka have scored 512 runs losing three wickets. Now they're trial by just 29 runs. With the play from Karunaratne and De Silva I expect a triple century and double century on the fifth day of the match. Because, they're in good form and playing real test match. They're not taking chances, only making use of the balls that can get them scores. Bangladesh could've made some plans from their bowling side after scoring the big score.

[Sithara007]

Looks as if Sri Lanka will easily take the lead. They have 7 wickets in hand and are trailing by just 29 runs. The Bangladesh bowlers failed without any exception, perhaps due to the absence of Shakib al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. Dimuth Karunaratne got his double century, which is a significant career milestone for him in this otherwise boring test match. Today is the last day of the match, and I am not expecting any miracles.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Bangladesh team does not have an experienced captain, they do not have a very experienced bowler. They did not declare the innings in time. Had there been an experienced captain, they would not have made such a wrong decision. Now they are paying for the mistake. Sri Lanka has scored 314 runs and lost just 3 wickets. It is easy to guess that the match will be a draw.

Bangladeshi bowlers are good enough to take the wickets but the pitch isn't favourable to bowlers. Day 4 has ended now. Sri Lanka hasn't lost any wickets today. Both batsman played very well. Bowler had nothing to do in this kind of pitch but they could create pressure by giving a lot of dot balls. Bangladeshi bowler wasn't able to create any pressure there. Now we can expect nothing than a draw of this test match.

Sri Lankan batsmen Dhananjaya De Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne are batting very comfortably. They scored 154 and 234 runs respectively. No Bangladeshi bowler can create any pressure on them. Yet how do you say Bangladesh bowlers are good enough? Not getting wickets and giving a lot of runs in Test format can not be a sign of a good bowler.

[JSRAW]

5th day and virtually no support for any bowlers, there is nothing on the pitch for the bowler and every bowler looking helpless against the batters at Pallekele, so can't blame the Bangladesi or Sri lankan bowlers for not turning up in this match. Next test match is also schedule here. 

[Mahdirakib]

~ No Bangladeshi bowler can create any pressure on them. Yet how do you say Bangladesh bowlers are good enough? Not getting wickets and giving a lot of runs in Test format can not be a sign of a good bowler.

Seems like you don't have the knowledge about the pitch condition of cricket matches. No matter how good a bowler is, if the pitch isn't balanced or favourable for bowler then it will be tough to take wickets. During this test match the pitch was fully favourable for batsman. As a result, both of the team was unable to take quick wickets. Moreover, Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam have good bowling figure in test matches. And I will again say that they are good enough.

[Vishnu.Reang]

5th day and virtually no support for any bowlers, there is nothing on the pitch for the bowler and every bowler looking helpless against the batters at Pallekele, so can't blame the Bangladesi or Sri lankan bowlers for not turning up in this match. Next test match is also schedule here. 

I don't understand why they prepare such tracks. Two innings completed in 5 days. A total of 450 overs were bowled and the total number of wickets that fell stands at 17. Matches such as this one are partially responsible for the death of test cricket. Imagine someone spending 5 days to watch this match, only to witness a draw in the end. The only positive from this match was a few individual records added for some of the batsmen.

[JSRAW]

5th day and virtually no support for any bowlers, there is nothing on the pitch for the bowler and every bowler looking helpless against the batters at Pallekele, so can't blame the Bangladesi or Sri lankan bowlers for not turning up in this match. Next test match is also schedule here. 

I don't understand why they prepare such tracks. Two innings completed in 5 days. A total of 450 overs were bowled and the total number of wickets that fell stands at 17. Matches such as this one are partially responsible for the death of test cricket. Imagine someone spending 5 days to watch this match, only to witness a draw in the end. The only positive from this match was a few individual records added for some of the batsmen.

In modern cricket where 99% test match producing results, this particular game was very boring and if 2nd game finish in a similar fashion then curators going to get a lot of criticism or may be some action in sense of negative points on the pitch. 

[Vishnu.Reang]

ICC seems to be considering a "second division" of test cricket.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/icc-mulls-regular-test-matches-for-non-wtc-full-members-and-associates-in-next-ftp-cycle-1260609

An enhanced structure for more multi-day cricket for Full Members outside the World Test Championship (WTC) and Associates could be a possibility in the next cricket calendar. Though the discussions, which took place last week at the ICC's scheduling meeting, are at a very formative stage, they took in the possibility of revisiting a past effort to form a second division for Test cricket. According to multiple sources, such a format could be a blended structure combining Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe - who play Tests but are not part of the WTC - and Associates with ODI status including Netherlands, Scotland and potentially others.

Without any promotion-relegation system, this second division is going to be useless. Essentially this is going to be a continuation of the Intercontinental Cup (which was abandoned in 2017 due to pressure from the big 3). I would rather suggest 4 divisions in test cricket, each with 4 teams each. Right now, it makes no sense for India or Australia to play a test match against teams such as Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

[Sithara007]

Only a couple of months remain for the final of the World Test Championship, which will be played at Southampton between India and New Zealand (unless there is any postponement due to COVID 19 situation). Initially Lord's was being scheduled as the venue, but then Southampton was confirmed as it was easier to setup a bio-secure bubble there. This is the first WTC final, and it's going to be exciting. The match is scheduled for 18th June 2021.

[JSRAW]

ICC seems to be considering a "second division" of test cricket.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/icc-mulls-regular-test-matches-for-non-wtc-full-members-and-associates-in-next-ftp-cycle-1260609

An enhanced structure for more multi-day cricket for Full Members outside the World Test Championship (WTC) and Associates could be a possibility in the next cricket calendar. Though the discussions, which took place last week at the ICC's scheduling meeting, are at a very formative stage, they took in the possibility of revisiting a past effort to form a second division for Test cricket. According to multiple sources, such a format could be a blended structure combining Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe - who play Tests but are not part of the WTC - and Associates with ODI status including Netherlands, Scotland and potentially others.

Without any promotion-relegation system, this second division is going to be useless. Essentially this is going to be a continuation of the Intercontinental Cup (which was abandoned in 2017 due to pressure from the big 3). I would rather suggest 4 divisions in test cricket, each with 4 teams each. Right now, it makes no sense for India or Australia to play a test match against teams such as Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

I don't get it..

What are they trying to do? Afg, Ire and Zim already avoid playing much test cricket due to financial problems. How are they going to include Associate members in this scheme?

[Vishnu.Reang]

I don't get it..

What are they trying to do? Afg, Ire and Zim already avoid playing much test cricket due to financial problems. How are they going to include Associate members in this scheme?

Intercontinental Cup was there till 2017, when the ICC stopped it due to cash crunch. It is just the same tournament with a different name. I don't know much about funding, but the ICC now want associate nations to bear the cost of this tournament. That would simply mean that cash-rich boards such as the UAE, Hong Kong and Oman will readily take part, while the boards which are facing financial issues (such as Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Nepal.etc) would skip their participation.

[JSRAW]

I don't get it..

What are they trying to do? Afg, Ire and Zim already avoid playing much test cricket due to financial problems. How are they going to include Associate members in this scheme?

Intercontinental Cup was there till 2017, when the ICC stopped it due to cash crunch. It is just the same tournament with a different name. I don't know much about funding, but the ICC now want associate nations to bear the cost of this tournament. That would simply mean that cash-rich boards such as the UAE, Hong Kong and Oman will readily take part, while the boards which are facing financial issues (such as Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Nepal.etc) would skip their participation.

So basically ICC is just jerking around and pretending to be care about Test Cricket. Why would the associate members want to get in the 5 day cricket when ICC is not supporting them fianancially.

[UmerIdrees]

Pakistan start the first test match against Zimbabwe in good form and bowled out the Zimbabwe team in only 176 runs. We know that Pakistani bowlers are superior than Zimbabwe bowlers but the big question was how well they can bat. Pakistan scored 103 runs till now and did not lose any wicket till now. This is a good beginning for them and they should score big score now.

[Vishnu.Reang]

So basically ICC is just jerking around and pretending to be care about Test Cricket. Why would the associate members want to get in the 5 day cricket when ICC is not supporting them fianancially.

The real reason why ICC is not supporting financially may be due to the fact that test format itself is not generating enough revenue. Also, the revenues for ICC are not increasing at a rate which they were hoping for. The big 3 are still against adding another ICC event to the calendar, and the COVID 19 situation led to the postponement or cancellation of some of the ICC events. Also, it looks like the franchise T20 leagues are having a negative impact on international cricket, at least as far as revenue generation is concerned.