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SL scythe through Tigers’ top order yet again


Published : 26 May 2022 09:32 PM

Bangladesh have suffered yet another batting collapse losing four batters in 13 overs of the final session of the day, Thursday. 

At the end of a fourth day in which Sri Lanka advanced more or less relentlessly, they stand in sight of a Test victory. Bangladesh are still 107 runs behind, with four wickets down. But then the batters at the crease are Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das, who have already hit hundreds in this match, and there’s plenty of batting to come too. 

Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das were unbeaten on the crease with 14 and 1 respectively at the close of the day’s play.

Resuming on 282/5, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal helped the Lankans take their first innings total past Bangladesh’s tally of 365. They played out the first two sessions wicketless, even if their progress was sedate at times, thanks largely to Mathews’ muted strike rate. But with a session having been lost to rain on day three, the steady-but-safe approach had its merits. It allowed Mathews to get to his second hundred in as many Tests, even if it was the slowest on his record; he reached triple-figures off the 274th ball he faced. Chandimal hit a 12th Test hundred too, but having been almost as conservative as Mathews while compiling his first 50, switched gears thereafter, and pushed Sri Lanka forward at a quicker rate.

Chandimal was out for 124 off 219. Mathews remained not out at the end of Sri Lanka’s innings, having attacked a little more alongside the tail, to get to 145 off 342. Together they had built the platform from which Sri Lanka could push for victory.

Earlier, Bangladesh posted 365 in their first innings with the centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim (175) and Liton Das (141).