COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath made use of a more bowler-friendly wicket to take 5-68 as Sri Lanka dismissed Bangladesh for 240 runs on the opening day of the second and final test yesterday.
After the batting paradise in the drawn first test match that produced 1613 runs and a record-equalling eight centuries, Herath took full advantage of the visitors’ inability to score on the sluggish outfield to claim his 15th five-wicket haul.
Paceman Nuwan Kulasekara grabbed 3-54 as Mominul Haque top-scored with 64.
Sri Lanka reached the close at 18-1 following the dismissal of opener Tillakaratne Dilshan after they were forced to see out four overs before stumps.
Pace bowler Robiul Islam, playing his first test match since 2011, took the wicket off the third ball of the innings.
Middle-order batsman Mominul gave Bangladesh some hope with his second fifty in as many matches before Herath ended his resistance with his first ball into the third session. Herath then broke a dogged 59-run partnership between Nasir Hossain (48) and Sohag Gazi (32) before he completed his five-wicket haul to wrap up the innings by trapping Nasir lbw. Herath said it was nice to restrict their opponents to a low total after the unhelpful conditions in the first test.
Bangladesh lost their top half in the first two sessions after Sri Lanka, seeking a series victory, won the toss and sent the visitors in.
Opener Tamim Iqbal, returning into the side after missing out on the first test, was the first to go when he was trapped leg before by Kulasekara for 10.
Mohammad Ashraful (16), who scored a career best 190 at Galle after a 15-month absence, was slow to react to a call for a quick single and was run out by a direct hit.
Paceman Shaminda Eranga ended Jahurul Islam’s resistance on 33 before Herath removed Mahmudullah when Angelo Mathews took a diving catch at gully after the edge hit wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal’s pad and lobbed up.
Herath then produced a superb delivery to bowl Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, man of the match in the first test where he scored a double century.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field
Bangladesh first innings
Tamim Iqbal lbw b Kulasekara 10
Jahurul Islam c Chandimal b Eranga 33
Mohammad Ashraful run out 16
Mominul Haque c Chandimal b Herath 64
Mahmudullah c Mathews b Herath 8
Mushfiqur Rahim b Herath 7
Nasir Hossain lbw b Herath 48
Sohag Gazi st Chandimal b Herath 32
Abul Hasan c Karunaratne b Kulasekara 4
Rubel Hossain c Herath b Kulasekara 0
Robiul Islam not out 1
Extras (lb-8, w-7, nb-2) 17
Total (all out; 83.3 overs) 240
Fall of wickets: 1-16 2-51 3-100 4-128 5-152 6-163 7-222 8-232 9-232 10-240
Bowling: Kulasekara 18-3-54-3 (nb-1), Lakmal 16-4-44-0(w-2), Mathews 3-1-7-0, Eranga 14-2-40-1 (w-1 nb-1), Herath 28.3-6-68-5, Dilshan 4-0-19-0
D. Karunaratne not out 12
T. Dilshan c Rahim b Robiul 0
K. Sangakkara not out 3 Extras (nb-3) 3
Total (one wicket; four overs) 18
To bat: L. Thirimanne, D. Chandimal, A. Mathews, K. Vithanage, N. Kulasekara, S. Eranga, R. Herath, S. Lakmal
Fall of wickets: 1-7
Bowling (to date): Robiul 2-0-12-1(nb-3), Sohag Gazi 2-1-6-0
Series: 0-0 (First test drawn)
