Taijul and Ebadot Set to Resume Bangladesh’s Innings on Day 2

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s bowlers, bolstered by debutant Sonal Dinusha’s spin, restricted Bangladesh to 220/8 on the first day of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Wednesday.

Najmul Hossain Shanto’s decision to bat first proved difficult, as the Bangladesh batting lineup encountered challenges against Sri Lanka’s accurate bowling attack.

The innings began poorly for the visitors when opener Anamul Haque was dismissed for a duck off 10 balls in the fifth over, with the score at just five runs.

Following this initial setback, Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque combined to stage a brief recovery, adding 38 runs for the second wicket.

The crucial second-wicket partnership was disrupted by Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, who had Mominul (21) caught at cover on his first delivery.

Shadman and Shanto then contributed a 31-run partnership for the third wicket before both were dismissed in quick succession, leaving Bangladesh at 76/4 after 29 overs.

The left-handed opener, Shadman Islam, was the highest scorer for Bangladesh in the first innings with 46 runs off 93 balls, while Shanto scored eight off 31 balls.

After the slump, the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and wicketkeeper Litton Das stabilized Bangladesh’s innings, forming the best partnership for the touring side with 67 runs for the fifth wicket.

Bangladesh’s recovery was halted in the 48th over when debutant Dinusha had Das caught behind after scoring 34 off 56 balls.

Dinusha struck again five overs later, dismissing Rahim, who departed after scoring 35 from 75 balls.

All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan then added 37 runs for the seventh wicket, bringing Bangladesh closer to the 200-run mark.

Miraz was out after scoring 31 off 42 balls, while Hasan continued for six more overs before being dismissed by Asitha Fernando in the 70th over, having scored 25 off 51 balls.

Taijul Islam and Ebadot Hossain, who remain not out on nine and five respectively, are slated to continue Bangladesh’s first innings on the second day from a score of 220/8.

For Sri Lanka, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha, and Dinusha each claimed two wickets, while de Silva and Tharindu Ratnayake took one wicket each.

The two-match series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is currently level at 0-0, following a draw in the first Test in Galle.