Lunch – Day 4: Sri Lanka 465/6 (Kamindu 83*, Ratnayake 38*, Nayeem 2-115) trail Bangladesh 495 (Rahim 163, Shanto 148, Litton 90, Asitha 4-86) by 30 runs.
Bangladesh Strike Early But Can’t Maintain Momentum
Bangladesh began the fourth morning with renewed energy and discipline, snaring two quick wickets in the first hour to put Sri Lanka under pressure. However, Kamindu Mendis‘ unbeaten 83 helped the hosts stabilize and trim the deficit to just 30 runs by lunch.
He was supported by Milan Ratnayake, who showcased great composure with a solid 38* off 76 deliveries. Their ongoing partnership of 79 runs came at a crucial point, especially when Bangladesh had started eyeing a potential first-innings lead.
Twin Strikes Shake Sri Lanka’s Start
The day started with Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu at the crease, but their 37-run overnight stand was short-lived. Dhananjaya was the first to go, nicking an off-break from Nayeem Hasan down the leg side – sharply taken by Litton Das behind the stumps.
Just a few overs later, Kusal Mendis followed suit. He glanced a delivery from Hasan Mahmud, also down leg, only to be dismissed thanks to another impressive catch from Litton – this time a full-stretch effort to his left.
Quote of the Morning
“𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒉𝒎𝒖𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑵𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍, 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉’𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑺𝒓𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒂 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚.
Kamindu and Milan Dig In
As the pitch continued to show signs of wear, with Nayeem generating sharp turn and variation, Kamindu and Milan adopted a measured approach. Rather than chase down the deficit in haste, they batted patiently – preserving wickets and steadily accumulating runs.
By the second hour of play, the duo had grown more confident, pushing the score along with smart shot selection. Sri Lanka scored 97 runs in the session, showing they still aim to gain a lead later in the day.
Missed Chance May Haunt Bangladesh
Taijul Islam came close to breaking the stand but failed to hold on to a return catch from Milan – a miss that could prove costly. Milan capitalized with a pair of confident strokes over the infield, while Kamindu remained clinical in punishing anything off-target.
As the lunch break arrived, Sri Lanka appeared well-placed to potentially take a lead, thanks to the resilience of their lower middle order.
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