Ultra-cautious batting, more disciplined bowling and an early close of play due to bad light brought an anticlimactic end to the second day of the first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as the Tigers reached 474-4 in their first innings at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s maiden Test ton ended on 163 while his overnight partner Mominul Haque brought up his first Test ton outside of Bangladesh, scoring 127 before getting dismissed.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das were looking to get a move on late on the day but first a brief rain interruption and then a loss of light meant they had to end the day’s play unbeaten on 43 and 25 respectively.
Sri Lankan pacer Lahiru Kumara and off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva took one wicket each on the day, while pacer Vishwa Fernando took the other two Bangladesh wickets the day before.
Resuming the day’s play on 302-2, Nazmul and Mominul adopted a cautious approach in the morning session, where Bangladesh managed to score only 76 runs in 28 overs but didn’t lose any wickets.
Both batsmen slowly but surely achieved their personal landmarks with Mominul, who was unbeaten on 64 the previous day, struck a four off Dhananjaya in the 111th over to bring up his 11th Test ton.
Nazmul, who had completed his maiden Test ton on Day one, crossed the 150-run mark in Dhananjaya’s very next over.
Bangladesh would’ve hoped for a move on in the post-lunch session, with eight wickets in hand and the total being just 22 runs off 400, but Sri Lankan bowlers came back strong in that session, sending back both centurions to further impede the pace of run-scoring.
The Sri Lankan bowlers got their first success of the day in the 125th over when Nazmul gave a straight forward return catch to Lahiru while attempting to hit the ball straight.
Nazmul’s departure ended a 242-run partnership between him and Mominul, which is the highest third-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in Tests.
The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim then came to the middle and almost got dismissed for only 11 when umpire Kumar Dharmasena ruled him Leg-before wicket off Wanindu Hasaranga.
Mushfiq referred the decision and the TV umpire reversed it after the replays showed that the ball brushed the inside edge of his bat before hitting the pad.
Mushfiq and Mominul were slowly building another partnership but it ended for 30 runs when Mominul tried to slash a full-length delivery off Dhananjaya, which took the edge of his bat and went to Lahiru Thirimanne at slip.
Liton and Mushfiq saw off the remaining overs in the session, which yielded only 62 runs off 27 overs.
After the Tea break, both Mushfiq and Liton came out with a more positive approach but they had to leave the field in the third over of the session due to a light drizzle.
Play resumed shortly but again had to be stopped when the dark clouds hovering in the sky and the authority’s decision of not using the floodlights meant Bangladesh could only bat 10 overs in the post-Tea session.
The play will begin 15 minutes earlier in the next three days to make up for the lost 35 overs of the second day.
