By Srian Obeyesekere
Bangladesh led Sri Lanka by 187 runs on a second innings 177 for 3 boosted by half centuries by opening batsman Shadman Islam 76 (126b, 7×4) and first innings centurions skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto unbeaten on 56 (113b, 6×4) with Mushfiqur Rahim on 22 aftter Sri Lanka’s first innings ended on 485, 11 runs behind with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva 19 off 36 (2×4) aiding just 2 runs to overnight 17, and Kusal Mendis a 17 ball 5 failing to drive home the overnight 368 for 4 advantage to a 150 first innings lead to pressurizing Bangladesh on the fourth day of the first test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
The exception was Kamindu Mendis’87 off 148 balls filled with 8 boundaries and No. 8 Milan Rathnayake 39 off 83 hitting 3 boundaries and a six in an 84-run seventh-wicket contribution that took Sri Lanka on to an even keel on first innings terms on a day Bangladesh’s 25-year old off spinner Nayeem Hasan did find turn to finishing with a 5-wicket haul for 121 accounting for the top three wickets of Dhananjaya de Silva caught behind by Litton Das as well as Kusal Mendis in identical fashion in striking two quick blows and the threatening Kamindu Mendis when he looked well set on the threshold of a century, also grabbed behind by Das in maximising turn off the wicket.
Into the fifth and final day the test looked heading for a draw with Bangladesh’s most reliable fourth wicket pair at the wickets unless the Lankan bowlers pulled out the extraordinary from the hat on a usually deteriorating surface whether the spin duo of Prabath Jayasuriya and Tharindu Rathnayake would win in the duel between bat and ball.
Chief Scores
Bangladesh 495 and 177/3 (57 Overs)
(Shadman Islam 76, Najmul Hossain Shanto n.o. 56, Mushfiqur Rahim n.o. 22, Mominul Haque 14, Milan Rathnayake 1/13, Prabath Jayasuriya 1/48, Tharindu Rathnayake 1/51)
Sri Lanka 485 (131.2 Overs)
(Pathum Nissanka 187, Kamindu Mendis 87, Dinesh Chandimal 54, Angelo Mathews 39, Milan Rathnayake 39, Dhananjaya de Silva 19, Prabath Jayasuriya 11, Nayeem Hasan 5/121, Hasan Mahmud 3/74, Monimul Haque 1/28, Taijul Islam 1/156)
