SL v BAN, 2nd Test, Day 1 Review: Bangladesh bowl well as hosts lose 7 wickets

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh took the field today for the second Test of their Two-match series. Bangladesh were lacklustre in the first Test match as they were crushed by Herath-led Sri Lanka. There were some notable performances from the Bangladeshi players but they were not good enough. Some of the Sri Lankan players had an outstanding outing in the first Test with Kusal Mendis scoring 194 and Upul Tharanga scoring a third inning century and not to forget Herath who took six wickets in the fourth innings to land them a Test win.

Day One of the second Test was a different affair altogether. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision proved to be a rather tame one as the Lankans kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They got off to a bad start as openers Upul Tharanga and Karunaratne were sent back cheaply. It was not long before they were 70 for 4 and struggling to find their feet. Bangladesh were bowling extremely well, they were perfect with their line and length. Star bowler Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers as he dismissed Karunaratne for a mere 7.

Dhananjay de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal then wove a patient 66 run partnership before Taijul Islam cleaned him apart. Another 44 run partnership was built this time Dickwella dominating the partnership by scoring 34 of those 44 runs before attempting a suicidal reverse sweep. Sri Lanka were in deep trouble as they were lurking on 180 and six batsmen had already returned back to the pavilion. The seventh wicket was not far away, Dilruwan Perera hit a massive six of Taijul Islam in the previous over which saw him follow a wide one from Mustafizur. He edged it and was caught comfortably in the first slip by Soumya Sarkar.

Chandimal was the only batsman who applied himself well at the crease. He has played over 200 deliveries for his 86 and has hit only four boundaries. No other batsman got in and scored big as many threw their wicket away. Sri Lanka ended the day with a 43 run partnership between Chandimal and captain Herath. This partnership took them to 238 for seven at the end of the day.

Mustafizur and Mehedi Hasan were the pick of the bowlers as they took two wickets each. Shakib, Taijul, and Subashish toiled hard for one wicket each. Day Two will be very crucial as it may decide how the test match will go. Mushfiqur needs three quick wickets while Herath needs to bat longer and see them post a competitive first inning target.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka – 238/7 (83.1) Dinesh Chandimal – 86*(210), Mustafizur Rahman – 2/32