Sri Lanka risk falling to their lowest world rankings position if they fail to beat Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting Thursday at Pallekele after being punished for a "below average" pitch in the high-scoring first game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The International Cricket Council's decision to order a demerit point for Pallekele has added to the pressure on the home side. The first match ended in a tame draw with the two sides scoring 1,289 runs for the loss of just 17 wickets over the five days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle said the Pallekele pitch was "below average<\/strong>". "The character of the pitch hardly changed over the course of five days," Madugalle said. "There was no shift in the balance between bat and ball as the game progressed.<\/strong>"<\/p>\r\n\r\n Sri Lanka will fall from seventh to eighth in the ICC Test rankings if ninth-placed Bangladesh force a draw or win. Having backed their fast bowlers in the opening Test, Sri Lanka will turn back to spin this time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n They have included off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, uncapped orthodox left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who has played only a handful of first-class games, and left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan in the 13-man squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n