Bangladesh stumble to 220/8 on turning SSC track

Sri Lanka struck at regular intervals on a turning track at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo to leave Bangladesh at 220/8 on a rain-hit opening day of the second Test. Although many batters got off to promising starts, six of them crossing 20, none managed to kick on and make a sizeable contribution, with Shadman Islam's 46 being the highest score. Vishwa Fernando, debutant Sonal Dinusha and Asitha Fernando bagged two wickets apiece to lead the way with the ball for the hosts.

Opting to bat, Bangladesh didn't have the best of starts as Anamul Haque was bowled for a 10-ball duck by Asitha Fernando after the batter was put down earlier. A 38-run stand between Mominul Haque and Shadman Islam ensued, steadying Bangladesh on a Day 1 pitch that was turning right from the opening session. The pair scored at a steady rate before Dhananjaya de Silva ended the stand as Mominul was caught at cover looking to force the ball through the off side. Shadman and Najmul Hossain Shanto took Bangladesh through to Lunch without further damage, with 71 coming in 26 overs bowled in the session.

Bangladesh, though, slipped early in the second session as Najmul, the twin centurion in the first match, was dismissed for eight by Vishwa Fernando, who came into the eleven in place of Milan Rathnayake. Having bowled a short ball earlier, Vishwa Fernando pitched it up and got the Bangladesh captain to edge it to the 'keeper. Tharindu Ratnayake then picked up the wicket of Shadman, who played a loose drive and saw the outside edge hit Kusal Mendis's gloves before it landed in the hands of De Silva. Bangladesh were 90/4 when it began to rain in Colombo and forced a lengthy break.

Once play resumed, Mushfiqur Rahim got a reprieve as he attempted a slogsweep and was put down at deep midwicket. He capitalised on the miss and forged a strong partnership with Litton Das, adding 67 for the fifth wicket. Dinusha, an all-rounder who bowls left-arm orthodox, picked up his maiden Test wicket by getting Litton to edge attempting a cut, with Kusal Mendis juggling before holding on to the ball. Bangladesh were 144/5 when the Tea break was taken, with 73 runs coming in the session in 23 overs.

Bangladesh's hopes of pushing towards a good total depended on Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who returned to the XI after missing the first Test due to illness. But they added only 17 before Rahim fell to Dinusha, with a slogsweep resulting in a well-judged catch from Vishwa Fernando. Nayeem Hasan gave Mehidy some support as they began the rebuilding work afresh but this partnership too failed to cross 50, ending on 37. Mehidy played away from his body to a Vishwa Fernando delivery and edged it to slip, departing for 31. Nayeem's stay was ended by Asitha Fernando, who got him bowled with a fine delivery just before Stumps.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 220/8 (Shadman Islam 46, Mushfiqur Rahim 35; Sonal Dinusha 2-22, Vishwa Fernando 2-35, Asitha Fernando 2-43) vs Sri Lanka.