Tea Sri Lanka 50 for 1 (Dhananjaya 37*, Mendis 13*, Mehidy 1-13) trail Bangladesh 513 (Mominul 176, Mahmudullah 83*, Lakmal 3-68, Herath 3-150) by 463 runs
If Sri Lanka believed that when the Bangladesh innings ended, their batsman could waltz out and have the time of their lives on a flat Chittagong surface, the first 15 overs of their innings has put the notion to rest. The hosts having hit 513 – Mahmudullah’s 83 not out the spine of their day-two batting effort – Sri Lanka lost a wicket to spin before they had even scored a run. For the remainder of the session, Kusal Mendis was repeatedly tested outside his off stump, particularly by Mustafizur Rahman. Dhananjaya de Silva alone batted with any fluency, hitting 37 of the team’s 50 runs at tea.
The afternoon had begun brightly for Sri Lanka. Soon after Mahmudullah had completed his fifty, Lakshan Sandakan had Sunzamul Islam stumped down the leg side, then Rangana Herath spun one out of the rough to disturb Taijul Islam’s wickets. With the score suddenly at 478 for 9, Sri Lanka seemed capable of dismissing Bangladesh for less than 500, only for Mahmudullah to kick his inning into a higher gear for the first time in the match, as he put on a 35-run partnership with no. 11 Mustafizur. All but 10 of those 35 runs were Mahmudullah’s own, as he made repeated trips down the pitch to hit the spinners off the infield, and trusting Mustafizur’s defense, made use of the open spaces in the deep. Sandakan, who had bowled better than his eventual figures suggested, was a particular victim of Mahmudullah during that final stretch, being struck for a four, six and four consecutively – a salvo during which Mahmudullah completed 2000 runs.
Mustafizur hit a six of his own – off Rangana Herath – before his innings was eventually brought to a close by a Suranga Lakmal bouncer, but Bangladesh would have the better of proceedings in the early overs of Sri Lanka’s innings as well. Kusal Mendis – opening the innings – was repeatedly beaten by Sunzamul Islam deliveries that ragged off the straight, while Dimuth Karunaratne also failed to score at the other end. Mehidy Hasan broke through in his first over of the game (the third of the innings), when he had Karunaratne push at a delivery outside his off stump, only for the resultant edge to be snaffled at slip.
At one end, the mood was tense. Mendis appeared uncomfortable against seam as well as spin, and in fact, it would not be long before Mustafizur pushed a ball across him and drew an edge, eventually spilled by a diving Mehidy at second slip. Had that catch stuck, Mendis would have been out for four. He would continue to flirt with the ball for the remainder of the session however, and Bangladesh are likely to target him again after the break.
De Silva, meanwhile, was flowing. He hit Sunzamul for two boundaries early in his innings, negotiated Mustafizur with no major incident, and to finish the session, ran at Taijul thrice in one over, and lifted him gracefully over the infield on each occasion. Where Mendis went to tea at 13 off 39, de Silva was batting at a strike rate of almost 90.
Though Sri Lanka did not exactly toil in the morning session, Bangladesh would perhaps have been the happier side at lunch as well. Although they lost two early wickets to Herath, Sunzamul and Mahmudullah had put 58 together for the eighth wicket, making a score over 500 possible.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo