Bangladesh against Sri Lanka ( final Test)

Bangladesh will look for another spirited show against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test that begins on Saturday at Birsreshthha Shaheed Ruhul Amin Stadium in the port city.

The team management will expect the players to carry on the positive approach that helped the home side post their highest fourth-innings total of 413 against the Sri Lanka's potent bowling attack led by Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas in the first Test in Dhaka.

However, a common concern for the Tigers is that they are not consistent in both innings and after a good showing they often flounder in the next match.

Bangladesh went very close to their second Test win, against South Africa in Dhaka in March, but in the next match in Chittagong they were humiliated by an innings defeat. Neil Mackenzie and Graeme Smith put on a world record of 415 for the opening stand in that match.

Captain Mohammed Ashraful is confident of a turnaround this time round.

"The second innings of the first Test boosted the players' confidence and all of us are eager to play the final Test.

"We are getting better as a team and the boys believe that and this year we will have plenty of opportunities to show our improvement," said Ashraful after a two-hour practice on Friday.

He said they had played pretty well against New Zealand in the last match at this venue and that they were also taking inspiration from that game.

Ashraful emphasised the need for good contribution from the top-order to given the visitors a run for their money.

"I will want a couple of top-order batsmen to stay long on the familiar crease as we need to bat four sessions at least in the first innings. If they give us a good start, we will have a decent total on the board.

"That's the pre-requisite for us getting a positive result in the Test matches and a positive result can be a win also," said Ashraful.

Sri Lankan champion spinner Muralitharan has always been a worry for the Bangladesh batsmen, who are now thinking of sensational Ajantha Mendis, who joined the team after missing the Dhaka Test due to injury.

The Sri Lankan team management is yet to say whether Mendis will play on Saturday, but the Bangladesh batsmen are ready to face both spinners.

"We also have footage but it is important not to think of him or Muralitharan too much and just try to play them ball by ball," said Ashraful, adding they were reading Muralitharan better.

Bangladesh kept middle-order batsman Rajin Saleh and pacer Sajidul Islam out of the 12-man squad and left-arm spinner Enamul Haq Junior may replace pacer Mahbubul Alam Robin.

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene wants to carry their 2008 performance to the 2009 season.

"We ended the year very well especially in Test cricket and it is another important year for us.

"We beat India, drew with West Indies where we for the first time defeated West Indies in West Indies in a Test match. It's start of another year, it's important that we start on a good note because we have lot of good cricket ahead of us in the year."

"Everybody is keen to start with a bang and it is nice to see Ajantha is back in the squad," said Jayawardene, who is set to play his 100th Test match on Friday with just 76 runs short of the 8000-run club.

The Sri Lankan skipper said they would decide the playing eleven on the match day.