Bangladesh Opt to Bat First in Galle as New WTC Cycle Begins Amid Rain Threat

Bangladesh have won the toss and chosen to bat first against Sri Lanka in Galle, as the two teams kick off their respective campaigns in the new World Test Championship cycle. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto highlighted the importance of capitalizing on favorable batting conditions early and utilizing their spinners in the latter stages of the match, though his side will be without key allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who is sidelined with fever. Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, who admitted he too would have batted first, took a moment to pay tribute to Angelo Mathews, who is playing his final Test match. Team selection saw both sides opt for a balanced attack with two seamers and two spinners each. Notably, Sri Lanka handed debuts to top-order batter Lahiru Udara and ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake. However, weather conditions remain a concern, with overnight rain having fallen and the forecast predicting potential interruptions throughout the match. The teams line up as follows: Sri Lanka field Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis (wk), Milan Rathnayake, Tharindu Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, and Asitha Fernando; while Bangladesh feature Shadman Islam, Anamul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nahid Rana, and Hasan Mahmud.

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