Bangladesh declare at 541 after Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das fifties

Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das added quick fifties on the third morning to help Bangladesh declare with a mammoth 541

Bangladesh 541 for 7 dec (Shanto 163, Mominul 127, Tamim 90, Mushfiqur 68*, Das 50, Fernando 4-96) v Sri Lanka

Bangladesh declared 90 minutes into the first session of the third day at 541-7. Mushfiqur Rahim was unbeaten on 68 as the visitors batted with a bit more punch on the third morning after 90 minutes was lost on the second day to bad light. Bangladesh added 67 runs in 18 overs for the loss of three wickets in the morning session.

Liton Das led the charge with his eighth Test fifty before Vishwa Fernando had him caught at gully. Fernando added a fourth wicket when he removed Taijul Islam. Suranga Lakmal’s first wicket came in his 35th over when he had Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind. Mushfiqur’s 68 came off 156 balls, which included six fours. Bangladesh’s batters managed five 50-plus scores in an innings for only the third time in their history.

Bangladesh built their formidable total around centuries from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque after Tamim Iqbal had given them a brisk start with his 90 on the first day. Shanto made 163, his maiden century, with 17 fours and a six in an innings that spanned seven minutes short of nine hours. He added 144 for the second wicket with Tamim and 242 with Mominul, a Bangladesh record for the third wicket.

Mominul made 127, his first overseas hundred, off 304 balls having struck eleven fours. It was his slowest hundred, exhibiting atypical restraint to support Shanto, who was batting under pressure following a poor West Indies series earlier in the year.

The Sri Lankan bowlers’ eagerness on the first day evaporated quickly when they realised the greenish tinge on the Pallekele pitch hardly aided pace and bounce. Instead, it was the sort of true surface Bangladesh’s batters have craved for a long time.

Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara (who didn’t bowl in the morning session due to a hamstring strain) and Dhananjaya de Silva picked up one each. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t pick up a wicket despite threatening Bangladesh’s right-handed batters towards the end of the innings.

The Sri Lankan bowlers brought some discipline to their effort on the second day when they restricted Bangladesh’s scoring to 172 runs for two wickets in 65 overs. The pitch has been showing signs of wear and tear, with patches of rough created in front of the right-hander’s offstump, which will aid Bangladesh’s spinners.