The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rated Kandy pitch that hosted the first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka below average.
“The character of the pitch hardly changed over the course of five days. There was no shift in balance between bat and ball as the game progressed,” match referee Ranjan Madugalle said in a statement.
“The pitch remained batting friendly throughout, resulting in a total of 1289 runs scored in the match for the loss of 17 wickets at an average of 75.82 runs per wicket, which is very high. Therefore, in keeping with the ICC guidelines I rate this pitch as below average,” Madugalle, who officiated the match, said.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka settled for a draw in the match, where two batsmen from each side scored a hundred.
The ground will also host the second and final Test between the two teams, starting on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh named an unchanged squad for the second Test.
Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said draw is not going to be a priority for his side in the second Test.
“It is disappointing when a drawn Test is seen as a massive success. I am not here for drawn Tests,” Domingo said ahead of second Test.
“We don’t want to lose Tests but we should have a mental shift. We have to play to win, and not merely be happy with draws.
“There’s a fear of losing Tests, and that’s something that we have to come away from. We have to play to win. At the moment I feel we are playing not to lose. It is a mental shift that we need to make.
“That mental shift will take a bit of time. Guys haven’t been successful in Tests. Until we change that mindset, we will always be okay with mediocrity. It is not something I want to be part of,” he said.
