SL v BAN, 2nd Test, 2nd Day, Review: Sri Lanka take the honors with 3 wickets late in the day

Playing their 100th Test, Bangladesh were looking to make a solid game out of it. After restricting Sri Lanka to 238/7 at the end of day 1, they were once cruising with their innings in reply. But some blows late in the day hurt their run and Sri Lanka made a stunning comeback in the game.

Initially, the overnight batsmen from Sri Lanka, Dinesh Chandimal and the skipper Rangana Herath started cautiously and brought up the fifty partnership for the 8th wicket. After adding 6 runs to his score, Herath was picked up by Shakib Al Hasan for 25 runs. The score read 250/8 at that stage and Sri Lanka were in danger of being bowled out under 300.

Chandimal was nearing his hundred and he needed someone to hang in with him. He found an able hand in Suranga Lakmal who came out to bat at number 10. Chandimal started farming the strike and notched up his 8th hundred in the Test career. He reached there off 244 balls and played a superb fighting innings.

Along with Lakmal, he added 55 runs for the 9th wicket before he lost his wicket in the hunt for some quick runs. The Bangladeshi off-spinner Mehedi Hasan flighted one on middle and leg and the batsman mistimed a slog-sweep that landed in the hands of Mosaddek at mid-wicket. A wonderful innings of 138 gave Sri Lanka a chance to make a match out of it.

The last wicket partnership of Lakmal and Lakshan Sandakan constructed a useful stand of 33 runs that took the total to a substantial 338. Lakmal was the last man to fall in the Sri Lanka innings when he top-edged a short ball from Subashis Roy straight to Soumya Sarkar at third man.

Bangladesh openers once more provided a wonderful start as Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar put together 95 runs. Tamim was the first to go when Herath got him out LBW for 49 runs as he missed his second fifty of the series. Sarkar went on to bring up his half-century before Sandakan sent him back for 61.

There was another decent partnership of 62 runs for the 3rd wicket between Imrul Kayes and Sabbir Rehman. At 192/2, Bangladesh looked like taking the honors on day 1 but they were struck by a mini collapse. Sandakan struck two back to back wickets to pull it back for his team.

First, it was Imrul Kayes who looked to pull a fullish delivery that hit him on the back leg and the umpire S Ravi had no hesitation in raising his finger. Very next ball, Taijul Islam was hit on the front pad courtesy a wrong un, the umpire this time didn’t agree. But the fielding team decided to go upstairs and the replays suggested all three aspects as reds and the decision had to be overturned.

In the next over, Lakmal bowled a short ball at Sabbir Rehman who only managed a top edge to the man at gully. From 192/2, Bangladesh were reduced to 198/5 within a space of 7 balls. Shakib Al Hasan too didn’t leave any stones unturned in trying to throw his wicket away. He played some risky shots in the drowning day and gave a handful of opportunities to Sri Lanka.

Those were absolute bizarre scenes watching the best batsman of the team playing such irresponsible shots close to stumps. He got a reprieve when he was dropped at deep square leg by Tharanga. Somehow he managed to survive the day at 18 runs off 8 balls along with his captain Mushfiqur Rahim at 2. They ended the day at 214/5, still trailing by 124 runs. The last 20 minutes turned the game in the home side’s favour which otherwise was setting up for a perfectly balanced Test.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka: 338/10 in 113.3 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 138, Mehedi Hasan 3/90)

Bangladesh: 214/5 in 60 overs (Soumya Sarkar 61, Lakshan Sandakan 3/65)