Sri Lanka dominate with unbeaten opening stand vs Bangladesh

Lunch Update: Sri Lanka 83 for 0 (Nissanka 42*, Udara 40*) trail Bangladesh 247 (Shadman 46, Dinusha 3-22, Asitha 3-51) by 164 runs.

Nissanka and Udara Steady the Ship with 83-Run Stand

Sri Lanka’s openers Pathum Nissanka and Lahiru Udara stitched together a commanding 83-run opening partnership, keeping Bangladesh’s bowlers at bay in the first session of Day 2 of the second Test in Colombo. They scored at nearly four runs per over, pushing Sri Lanka closer to Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 247.

Nissanka played a fluent knock of 42 off 64 deliveries, dispatching six boundaries, most of them off Bangladesh’s seamers. Udara, showing similar composure, notched up 40 from 62 balls, striking three of his four boundaries off pace bowling.

Bangladesh Bowlers Fail to Capitalize on Uneven Pitch

Although the Colombo pitch had shown uneven bounce on Day 1, the Bangladeshi pace attack failed to exploit it. Both Ebadot Hossain and Nahid Rana were inconsistent, often straying too wide or too short. This allowed Nissanka to drive with freedom, especially a glorious square drive off an overpitched ball from Rana.

Even left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was dependable the previous day, began Day 2 with erratic lengths. The introduction of Mehidy Hasan Miraz did slow things down, but by then, both Sri Lankan batters were well set.

β€œπ‘»π’‰π’†π’š π’ˆπ’‚π’—π’† 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 π’Žπ’‚π’π’š 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 π’†π’‚π’“π’π’š 𝒐𝒏,” 𝒂 π‘Ίπ’“π’Š π‘³π’‚π’π’Œπ’‚π’ π’•π’†π’‚π’Ž 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅. β€œπ‘΅π’Šπ’”π’”π’‚π’π’Œπ’‚ π’Žπ’‚π’…π’† 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 π’„π’‚π’‘π’Šπ’•π’‚π’π’Šπ’›π’† 𝒐𝒏 π’†π’—π’†π’“π’š π’π’‘π’‘π’π’“π’•π’–π’π’Šπ’•π’š.”

Bangladesh’s Batting Falters Despite Taijul’s Resistance

Earlier, Taijul Islam added 33 off 60 balls, showing great resolve with the bat. He handled the short-pitched deliveries confidently and was proactive against the spinners, even shielding the tailenders to prolong the innings.

However, Sri Lanka’s short-ball strategy paid off again, with Ebadot falling to a well-set trap. Though Bangladesh’s tail tried to stretch the innings, a mistimed lofted shot from Taijul ended the innings as he holed out to mid-off.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’† π’Œπ’π’†π’˜ π’•π’‰π’†π’šβ€™π’… π’ˆπ’ 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 π’•π’“π’Šπ’†π’… 𝒕𝒐 π’‡π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’• 𝒂𝒔 π’Žπ’–π’„π’‰ 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅,” π‘»π’‚π’Šπ’‹π’–π’ π’”π’‚π’Šπ’… 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’”π’†π’”π’”π’Šπ’π’.

Sri Lanka’s Fielding Still a Concern

Despite their overall success with the ball, Sri Lanka dropped another catch, continuing a concerning trend. Kamindu Mendis failed to hold onto a low chance offered by Taijul, though Sonal Dinusha made up for it by dismissing the last man soon after.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’†β€™π’—π’† 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’‡π’Šπ’†π’π’…,” π’‚π’…π’Žπ’Šπ’•π’•π’†π’… π‘Ίπ’“π’Š π‘³π’‚π’π’Œπ’‚ π’ƒπ’‚π’•π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 π‘»π’‰π’Šπ’π’Šπ’π’‚ π‘²π’‚π’π’…π’‚π’Žπ’ƒπ’š. β€œπ‘»π’‰π’‚π’• 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑 π’…π’Šπ’…π’β€™π’• 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒖𝒔 π’Žπ’–π’„π’‰ π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’†, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 π’˜π’† 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 π’•π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•π’†π’ 𝒖𝒑.”

Looking Ahead: Can Sri Lanka Capitalize?

With both openers looking set and confident, Sri Lanka will be eyeing a first-innings lead and possibly a dominant position in the match. For Bangladesh, the challenge now lies in regrouping and striking early in the post-lunch session to avoid letting the game drift away.

Also Read: Caution Advised on Jofra Archer’s Return for Second Test, Say Vaughan and Farbrace

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