Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: 1st Test, Day 3: 5 Talking Points

After scoring 133 for 2 at stumps on Day 2, Bangladesh put up a strong fight countering the blistering bowling attack from the hosts at Galle. Eventually, Bangladesh were bowled out for 312 on rain-curtailed Day 3 as the Lankans earned a huge lead of 182 runs in the first innings.

Thanks to some finest bowling spells from the experienced Herath and young Perera, the Lankans were able to tame the Bangla tigers just when they looked well-set to overtake Lankan’s score. The duo shared 3-3 wickets each.

Rain wasted quite a lot of time on Day 3. When rain first stopped play for 45 minutes, Herath removed Rahim in the 95.4 over once the game was resumed and then dismissed Rahman in the first ball of his next over.

Here are the 5 Talking Points of the Match:

#1) Herath and Perera Tear into Bangladesh Batting:

The spin duo of Perera and Herath created havoc today on the field. Their turns and flighted balls tore into the Bangladesh middle order with both spinners claiming three-three wickets each. Around half of the Sri Lankan overs were done by them. Undoubtedly, wickets of well-set Mehedi Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim were the turning point for Bangladesh or else they would have put lots more runs on the scoreboard.

#2) Shakib Al Hasan Lost His Cool:

Expectations are bound to be plenty when the player is Shakib Al Hasan. But only god knows why the senior Bangla batsman played recklessly today just when his team required someone to keep the scoreboard ticking without taking unnecessary risks. After the dismissal of well-set Sarkar 71 (137b, 4s x 8, 6s x 1), Shakib (23) should have supported his captain Rahim from the other end but got out trying to play aggressive cricket when it wasn’t needed.

#3) Rahim-Mehedi Partnership:

Mushfiqur Rahim 85 (161b, 4s x 8, 6s x 1) and Mehedi Hasan 41 (77b, 4s x 5) added a valuable 106 runs to the Bangladesh scorecard for the seventh wicket. At one stage, the visitors were languishing for 192/6 but thanks to some fantastic batsmanship from Rahim and Mehedi that they took the score 300 par. The duo negotiated both Herath and Perera positively and didn’t miss out any opportunity to score runs whenever they got a chance.

#4) Magnificence of Mushfiqur Rahim:

The Bangladesh captain was resilient today. He hit the ball all across the ground quite easily. The Bangladesh wicket-keeper batsman had a good run-riot last time when he scored a double ton in Galle against Sri Lanka. Today, he once again took the charge just when the team was about to crumble after losing their sixth wicket at 192. But, he added a fine 106-run partnership with Mehedi Hassan to help his team. He stood rock solid when wickets were falling from the other end. Eventually, Herath dismissed him on 85 as Sri Lanka lost their 9^th wicket.

#5) Rain Killed third Day’s Joy:

Undoubtedly, the scorecard would have been different if rain hadn’t spoiled the day. It not only delayed a few hours’ play but also denied Bangladesh’s chance of picking up the Lankan’s early wicket!