Bangladesh are four wickets down against Sri Lanka in their second innings of the ongoing second Test in Mirpur yesterday.
Asitha Fernando struck early for Sri Lanka, dismissing Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudul Hasan Joy in quick succession. In between Tamim and Hasan’s dismissal, Bangladesh also lost the wickets of Najmul Hussain Shanto and skipper Mominul Haque. Earlier, Sri Lanka, on the back of Angelo Mathews (145) and Dinesh Chandimal’s (124) marathon knocks, posted a total of 506, and took a first innings lead of 141. Initially, Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das played marathon knocks to rescue Bangladesh from 24/5 to take them to a total of 365.
Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s two most senior batters, forged a 199-run stand to put the heat on Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets cheaply, but then their quicks gutted the hosts’ top order for the second time in the Test to ratchet up the temperature further.
At the end of a fourth day in which Sri Lanka advanced more or less relentlessly, they stand in sight of a Test (and thus, series) victory. Bangladesh are still 107 runs behind, with four wickets down. But then the batters at the crease are Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das, who have already hit hundreds in this match, and there’s plenty of batting to come too. Still, aside from the period in which they lost their last five wickets for 49 runs, Sri Lanka dominated the day.
They were led by Chandimal and Mathews, who played out the first two sessions wicketless, even if their progress was sedate at times, thanks largely to Mathews’ muted strike rate. But with a session having been lost to rain on day three, the steady-but-safe approach had its merits. It allowed Mathews to get to his second hundred in as many Tests, even if it was the slowest on his record; he reached triple-figures off the 274th ball he faced.
Chandimal hit a 12th Test hundred too, but having been almost as conservative as Mathews while compiling his first 50, switched gears thereafter, and pushed Sri Lanka forward at a quicker rate.
Chandimal was out for 124 off 219. Mathews remained not out at the end of Sri Lanka’s innings, having attacked a little more alongside the tail, to get to 145 off 342. Together they had built the platform from which Sri Lanka could push for victory. (Agencies)
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