On Day 2 of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, Pathum Nissanka struck another century and was helped by Dinesh Chandimal in a 194-run combination that demoralized Bangladesh. Stumps put Sri Lanka in a solid position after dismissing Bangladesh for 247. By the end of the day, they were up 43 at 290/2. While Chandimal was dismissed for 93 in the final stages of the day, Nissanka was undefeated at 146.
Early in the session, Asitha Fernando took out Ebadot Hossain, trapping him in front for eight to terminate the ninth wicket partnership that lasted for 28 deliveries and produced 15 runs, giving Bangladesh, who had started the day at 220/8, a shock to their chances of extending their first innings. However, Taijul Islam continued the battle by hitting a few boundaries on his way to a helpful knock of 33. In his 18-run partnership with Taijul, Nahid Rana survived seven deliveries without scoring until Taijul was dismissed by debutant Sonal Dinusha, who took three wickets in the end.
With openers Nissanka and Lahiru Udara putting on a partnership of more than 80 runs, Sri Lanka got off to a strong start in their reply. With Ebadot and Taijul bowling in unison, Bangladesh began with a mix of pace and spin. However, Udara and Nissanka managed them with ease, establishing consistent boundaries. The openers were unaffected even by Rana’s quick pace, as Udara hit a couple of fours in his opening over before escaping an LBW claim in Taijul’s over thanks to a call from the umpire. As the openers reached the half-century mark in nine overs, Nissanka also struck two fours in a Rana over. As Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul bowled several tight overs before lunch, Bangladesh then employed spin from both ends, pushing Sri Lanka to 83/0.
Taijul got Udara leg-before in the third over of the second session, ending the opening partnership, which was worth 88. Bangladesh had to apply the DRS procedure to win the match. However, their reprieve was short-lived as Nissanka and Chandimal deflated the visiting team with a huge stand. Chandimal hit Taijul for a six after Nissanka reached fifty, and both batsmen hit boundaries to propel Sri Lanka ahead. In contrast, Chandimal was the batter in issue on both occasions when Sri Lanka successfully appealed a lbw appeal in Taijul’s over and Bangladesh lost one in Nayeem Hasan’s over. Sri Lanka entered tea at 190/1 after he brought up a half-century.
At the beginning of the third session, a well-directed bouncer from Rana hit Nissanka on his helmet. He was unfazed and went on to get a beautiful hundred with a four off the same pacer after switching head gear. Nissanka and Chandimal scored runs at will as the Bangladesh bowlers found it difficult to stop the boundary options. The latter went into the 90s with a stroke off Rana for a four. However, Chandimal’s tenure was cut short as he missed a century, and Nayeem gave Bangladesh a much-needed reprieve. After that, when the umpires called stumps due to fading light, the visitors wasted a review on nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya, who edged a four off Mominul Haque in the last over before play ended.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 247 (Shadman Islam 46, Mushfiqur Rahim 35; Sonal Dinusha 3-22, Asitha Fernando 3-51) trail Sri Lanka 290/2 (Pathum Nissanka 146*, Dinesh Chandimal 93; Nayeem Hasan 1-45) by 43 runs.
