Mirpur: Bangladesh scored unbeaten on the first day of the second Test once morest Sri Lanka. The hosts ended the first day at 277 for five following an early collapse. Bangladesh’s resurgence came following falling to 24 for five in seven overs. Mushfiqur Rahim (108 off 248 balls) and Litton Das (135 off 221 balls) were the main contributors to Bangalore’s innings. Mushfiqur Rahim and Lytton Das put on an unbeaten 253 for the sixth wicket to lift the hosts out of danger.
In the first overs, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque’s decision to win the toss and choose to bat was flawed. Both openers entered the tent without scoring a single. In the second ball, Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s knock gave Kazun Rajitha an enticing start to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh were six for two when Asita Fernando put fellow opener Tamim Iqbal in the hands of Jayavikrama in the next over. Opening: Captain Mominul Haque fell in the sixth over in the destructive bowling of the bowlers. Nine off nine balls, including two fours, were caught by wicketkeeper Dickwella off Fernando off the captain. Rajitha hit a double in the seventh over to put Bangladesh in a further slump. Najimul Hossain Shanto (eight off 21 balls) and Shakib Al Hasan (zero) were out in the next over.
This was followed by the heroic battle of Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das. The duo faced the Sri Lankan bowlers with caution and then dominated them. Substitute fielder Kamindu Mendis knocked down Lytton Das’ own chance at 47 to give Sri Lanka the lead. Apart from this, both the innings were flawless. Kamindu came on as a replacement when Kusal Mendis left the field due to chest pain just before lunch. Kusal, who was admitted to hospital, is in a stable condition, Sri Lankan team officials said.
The more aggressive Lytton was the first to score a century. Lytton’s century came off 149 balls. Mushfiqur soon scored his second consecutive century once morest Sri Lanka and the ninth of his career. The duo’s top-order partnership of Bangladesh for the sixth wicket helped the hosts to establish their dominance over Sri Lanka in the match.
