Tea Sri Lanka 175 for 4 (Sangakkara 75*, Chandimal 53*) trail Bangladesh 240 (Mominul 64, Herath 5-68) by 65 runs
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Kumar Sangakkara continued to pile on the runs against one of his favourite oppositions © Associated Press
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Matches: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo (RPS)
Series/Tournaments: Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Bangladesh | Sri Lanka
When Bangladesh folded for 240 on the first day in Colombo, it seemed an insufficient total. Only three times have Bangladesh managed to bowl out serious Test opposition below that score. Coming into this Test, their bowlers had only 22 Test caps between them, and their bowlers' averages made for alarming reading - only offspinner Sohag Gazi manages below 75.
There had also been worries that Bangladesh had gone in with three fast bowlers and no left-arm spinners, an almost unheard-of strategy for a team that has usually relied heavily on spin. They put those dreadful numbers behind them in the morning session with a spirited display which left Sri Lanka at 69 for 4.
Another wicket soon after and they would have dreaming of a healthy first-innings lead. Instead, they were thwarted by a familiar bogeyman. The last time Bangladesh toured Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara racked up 200* and 222*, and this time he opened with twin tons in Galle. With Mahela Jayawardene out with an injury, Thilan Samaraweera retired and Tillakaratne Dilshan dismissed on the first day, there was plenty of responsibility on Sangakkara to guide an inexperienced line-up. He duly delivered and a third consecutive century was 25 away, as he methodically negotiated the challenges posed by a testing track and Bangladesh's attack.
He was assisted by Dinesh Chandimal, for whom Test cricket continued to be easy, with a sixth fifty-plus score in seven Tests. The pair's unbroken century stand shifted the balance of the match towards Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will also anxiously await news on the fitness of Robiul Islam, one of their four specialist bowlers, who had to leave the field just before tea due to a groin problem.
This was not a track that encouraged flamboyance, and was more about waiting for the bad ball and patiently keeping out the good ones. Sangakkara did just that, cutting out the risks, and capitalised when the Bangladesh bowlers dropped short or bowled on the pads. Chandimal was a bit more enterprising, using his feet to Gazi, who bowled a marathon 18-over spell, to loft the ball as he made an energetic half-century. The pitch wasn't conducive to stroke-making, and both batsmen scored plenty of runs with dabs and tucks square of the wicket.
Although Bangladesh's bowlers wilted as the day progressed, they began with intent to rattle the top order. Dimuth Karunaratne was one of the youngsters who didn't pile up a big score on the shirtfront in Galle, and with six of his ten Test innings having ended before he reached 15, he needed some runs to shore up his place. He and Sangakkara began confidently with a trio of boundaries in the first three overs, which was as many as Bangladesh managed in the entire first session yesterday. Karunaratne gave it away though, flashing at a short and wide delivery to edge to the keeper for 17.
That wicket was a freebie for Abul Hasan, but the other two Bangladesh got came off more threatening deliveries. Lahiru Thirimanne was caught-behind for a duck, nicking a pitched up delivery that moved away slightly and Angelo Mathews was foxed by Gazi as he played for the turn, getting an outside edge that was snaffled by Mahmudullah at slip. That was as good as it got for Bangladesh, as Sangakkara and Chandimal then bailed Sri Lanka out of a tight spot.
Bangladesh 240
Sri Lanka 294/6 (93.0 ov)
*Kumar Sangakkara
(lhb) 127 271 10 0 46.86 31 (89b) 14 (23b) 117 10419 287 57.24
Nuwan Kulasekara
(rhb) 2 26 0 0 7.69 0 (5b) 2 (26b) 20 361 64 15.04
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara continued to pile on the runs against one of his favourite oppositions © Associated Press
Enlarge
Related Links
Matches: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo (RPS)
Series/Tournaments: Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Bangladesh | Sri Lanka
When Bangladesh folded for 240 on the first day in Colombo, it seemed an insufficient total. Only three times have Bangladesh managed to bowl out serious Test opposition below that score. Coming into this Test, their bowlers had only 22 Test caps between them, and their bowlers' averages made for alarming reading - only offspinner Sohag Gazi manages below 75.
There had also been worries that Bangladesh had gone in with three fast bowlers and no left-arm spinners, an almost unheard-of strategy for a team that has usually relied heavily on spin. They put those dreadful numbers behind them in the morning session with a spirited display which left Sri Lanka at 69 for 4.
Another wicket soon after and they would have dreaming of a healthy first-innings lead. Instead, they were thwarted by a familiar bogeyman. The last time Bangladesh toured Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara racked up 200* and 222*, and this time he opened with twin tons in Galle. With Mahela Jayawardene out with an injury, Thilan Samaraweera retired and Tillakaratne Dilshan dismissed on the first day, there was plenty of responsibility on Sangakkara to guide an inexperienced line-up. He duly delivered and a third consecutive century was 25 away, as he methodically negotiated the challenges posed by a testing track and Bangladesh's attack.
He was assisted by Dinesh Chandimal, for whom Test cricket continued to be easy, with a sixth fifty-plus score in seven Tests. The pair's unbroken century stand shifted the balance of the match towards Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will also anxiously await news on the fitness of Robiul Islam, one of their four specialist bowlers, who had to leave the field just before tea due to a groin problem.
This was not a track that encouraged flamboyance, and was more about waiting for the bad ball and patiently keeping out the good ones. Sangakkara did just that, cutting out the risks, and capitalised when the Bangladesh bowlers dropped short or bowled on the pads. Chandimal was a bit more enterprising, using his feet to Gazi, who bowled a marathon 18-over spell, to loft the ball as he made an energetic half-century. The pitch wasn't conducive to stroke-making, and both batsmen scored plenty of runs with dabs and tucks square of the wicket.
Although Bangladesh's bowlers wilted as the day progressed, they began with intent to rattle the top order. Dimuth Karunaratne was one of the youngsters who didn't pile up a big score on the shirtfront in Galle, and with six of his ten Test innings having ended before he reached 15, he needed some runs to shore up his place. He and Sangakkara began confidently with a trio of boundaries in the first three overs, which was as many as Bangladesh managed in the entire first session yesterday. Karunaratne gave it away though, flashing at a short and wide delivery to edge to the keeper for 17.
That wicket was a freebie for Abul Hasan, but the other two Bangladesh got came off more threatening deliveries. Lahiru Thirimanne was caught-behind for a duck, nicking a pitched up delivery that moved away slightly and Angelo Mathews was foxed by Gazi as he played for the turn, getting an outside edge that was snaffled by Mahmudullah at slip. That was as good as it got for Bangladesh, as Sangakkara and Chandimal then bailed Sri Lanka out of a tight spot.
Bangladesh 240
Sri Lanka 294/6 (93.0 ov)
*Kumar Sangakkara
(lhb) 127 271 10 0 46.86 31 (89b) 14 (23b) 117 10419 287 57.24
Nuwan Kulasekara
(rhb) 2 26 0 0 7.69 0 (5b) 2 (26b) 20 361 64 15.04
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