Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das stitched a stunning 253-run stand for the sixth wicket to help Bangladesh recover from a precarious 24/5 on Day 1 of the series-deciding second Test against Sri Lanka at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. At the close of play on Monday, Bangladesh were 277/5 in 85 overs.
Mominul Haque won what looked like a very good toss and opted to bat first. But Kasun Rajitha, who also took four wickets in the drawn first Test coming as a concussion sub, rocked the hosts with a second ball wicket of Mahmudul Hasan Joy. Fellow pacer Asitha Fernando then got rid of Tamim Iqbal. Ranjitha then cleaned up Najmul Hossain Shanto. And Fernando got his second with the wicket of Haque. Shakib Al Hasan didn't last long, becoming Ranjitha's third become.
Then Rahim and Das hit back. And in some style. Rahim was unbeaten on 115 off 252 while Das, dropped on 47, looked unperturbed, on 135 off 221.
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne used six bowlers, including himself, but none managed to make a mark after the initial success.
5:02 PM IST: Stumps
Kasun Rajitha on with his 19th over. Litton Das hits the first ball for a four, flicking behind square. 16th Das. Six from the over. And the end of the day's play. Loses five overs. An unbeaten stand of 253 off 469 means Bangladesh have the say despite losing five inside seven overs for 24 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das not out on 115 off 252 and 135 off 221 respectively. BAN - 277/5 (85)
4:48 PM IST: Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis has been given the all-clear after a few observations. But Litton Das off not some issues. He engages with the umpire, not happy even as not so happy Sri Lankan players look on bemused. He splashes water in the eyes.
4:41 PM IST: 8 Overs Remaining
Asitha Fernando on with his 16th over. A single off the first and dots to Mushfiqur Rahim (112 off 244). Litton Das not out on 128 off 211. Their stand - 241 in 451. 31 runs in the last ten overs. BAN - 265/5 (82)
4:14 PM IST: Rahim Ton
Ramesh Mendis on with his 10th over. A single off the fifth ball, and back-to-back centuries for Mushfiqur Rahim (218 balls, 11 fours. BAN - 248/5 (76)
3:58 PM IST: Stand Grows
Praveen Jayawickrama on with his 25th over. A couple and two singles. 44 runs in the last ten overs. Mushfiqur Rahim (91 off 205) and Litton Das (125 off 184) stand now over 200 runs (213 off 389). BAN 237/5 (71)
3:25 PM IST: Century
Asitha Fernando on with his 14th over. Mushfiqur Rahim pulls the first ball for a three, then singles off second and fifth. Litton Das takes another single off the last, then four overthrows. And third century for Das! 101 off 149. Also, 200 up. Rahim unbeaten on 87 off 192. Their stand - 184. BAN - 208/5 (63)
3:20 PM IST: Mendis Update
Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis has been taken to a hospital in Dhaka after experiencing chest pains. He appeared to be in discomfort and laid down on the field during the last over before lunch. He was attended by medical staff but left the field soon after, holding his chest.
“Mendis had to be taken to the hospital for proper diagnosis and better management of his condition,” said Manzur Hossain Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Cricket Board doctor. “He may suffer from dehydration, which could be a reason behind his discomfort. It might be gastritis as a possible reason for his discomfort. Once the diagnosis is completed, it will be possible to tell the thing exactly.”
Mendis was replaced by Kamindu Mendis.
3:04 PM IST: Big Over
Praveen Jayawickrama on with his 22nd over. Litton Das hits fours off the first, fifth and sixth balls to make it a 14-run over. 38 runs in the last ten. Das moves into 90s (90 off 142) and his stand with Mushfiqur Rahim (77 off 181) is 165 in 319. BAN - 189/5 (60)
2:35 PM IST: Play Resumes
Dhananjaya de Silva resumes post-tea proceedings. Mushfiqure Rahim takes three off the last ball, to third man. BAN - 159/5 (54)
2:13 PM IST: Tea
Praveen Jayawickrama continues. A single off the fourth ball as Mushfiqur Rahim plays it to on side. And tea time. 87 runs without losing a wicket. Surely, Bangladesh's session. Rahim (62 off 156) and Litton Das (72 off 125) are in an unbeaten stand of 126 off 277. BAN - 153/5 (53)
2:00 PM IST: 150 Up
Ramesh Mendis on with his 19th over. Three singles from it, and 28 from the last ten. Mushfiqure Rahim (62 off 144) and Litton Das (69 off 119) are in an unbeaten stand of 126 in 259. BAN 150/5 (50)
1:33 PM IST: Rahim Fifty
Mushfiqur Rahim hits the second for a four, a brilliant cover drive, for his fifty in 112 balls. BAN - 133/5 (42.2)
1:31 PM IST: 100-run Stand
Ramesh Mendis on with his second over. Litton Das hits the first ball for a four, past mid-wicket. Six from the over. 45 runs in the last ten overs and the 6th-wicket stand is now worth 105 runs in 211 balls. BAN - 129/5 (42)
1:20 PM IST: Dropped, Then Fifty
Asitha Fernando resumes proceedings after drinks. And a dropped catch. Litton Das goes for a pull shot off the first ball, but gets only a top edge. And sub fielder Kamindu Mendis drops. Das on 47 off 94. Then Das completes his fifty with a four off the fifth ball, another pull shot, in 96 balls. He hits another one to make it a big, expensive over. 10 runs and a dropped catch. BAN - 108/5 (38)
1:07 PM IST: 100 Up
Praveen Jayawickrama continues. Litton Das hits the fifth ball for a four, to bring up 100 for Bangladesh. They were 24/5. Das (47 off 92) one hit away from fifty. BAN - BAN 103/5 (36)
12:36 PM IST: 50-run Stand
Praveen Jayawickrama on with his 10th over. A maiden to Litton Das (33 off 78). Sixth-wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim (31 off 65) is now worth 59 in 139. 28 runs in the last ten overs. BAN - 83/5 (30)
12:14 PM IST: Play Resumes
Praveen Jayawickrama resumes the proceeding in the post-lunch session. Five dots and Mushfiqur Rahim produces a nice on drive for a four. BAN - 70/5 (24)
11:31 AM IST: Lunch
A single from Kasun Rajitha's seventh over. And lunch in Dhaka. Mushfiqur Rahim (22 off 47) and Litton Das (26 off 54) are in an unbeaten stand of 42 off 97. Rajitha's figures: 3/16. BAN - 66/5 (23)
11:28 AM IST: Chest Pain
Kasun Rajitha returns for his 8th over. A dot to Mushfiqur Rahim, and play stops. Kusal Mendis is down, holding his chest. He's off the field. BAN - 65/5 (22.1)
11:22 AM IST: Fours
Ramesh Mendis, off-spinner, on. Litton Das hit fours off the second and fourth balls. 10 from the over. BAN - 65/5 (21)
11:00 AM IST: Rebuilding
Praveen Jayawickrama on with his third over. A couple off the last ball as Litton Das plays it to backward point, and for the first time, both the batters are in double figures. Das on 10 off 25 and Mushfiqur Rahim on 19 off 34. The stand now worth precious 23 runs in 55 balls. BAN - 47/5 (16).
Earlier, a dog runs into the field and was forced to stop the play for a while.
10:34 AM IST: Rahim Holds The Key
Asitha Fernando continues. Three from the over. Mushfiqur Rahim, against the run of the play, is already like in control. On 14 off 16. Drinks. BAN - 31/5 (10)
10:15 AM IST: 3/12
No hat-trick though. New man Litton Das defends the last ball of the over. Double-wicket maiden. 3/12 for Kasun Rajitha in four overs, so far.
10:12 AM IST: Rajitha Rocks Bangladesh
Kasun Rajitha is one fire. He first cleans up Najmul Hossain Shanto (8 off 21) off the fourth ball, then manages to convince an LBW decision against new man Shakib Al Hasan the very next ball. Bangladesh review. No bat involved, with the spike coming from the bat hitting the pad. Clipping the leg stump. And Shakib goes for first-ball duck. Bangladesh in massive trouble. BAN - 24/5 (6.5)
9:59 AM IST: Rattled!
Asitha Fernando continues. And Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque's poor run continues. Bottom edge and caught behind off the first ball. He goes for run-a-ball nine. Now in the middle is Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh's lone batter with 5000 Test runs. BAN - 16/3 (5.1)
9:44 AM IST: Flying Catch
Asitha Fernando with the second over. Three dots and the big wicket of Tamim Iqbal. Sensationally caught at point fine leg by Praveen Jayawickrama. Iqbal also goes for a duck, off four balls. Mominul Haque is the new man. And the Bangladesh skipper starts with a four. BAN - 10/2 (2)
9:38 AM IST: Shanto Four
Najmul Hossain Shanto is the new man. And he gets a four off the fifth ball. One wicket and six runs from Kasun Rajitha's first over. BAN - 6/1 (1)
9:32 AM IST: Early Wicket
Kasun Rajitha with the new ball. And it takes only a couple of deliveries to strike. Mahmudul Hasan Joy is cleaned up. He goes for a two-ball duck. BAN - 0/1 (0.2)
9:08 AM IST: Playing XIs
As expected, changes for both sides. Mosaddek Hossain and Ebadot Hossain in for injured Shoriful Islam and Nayeem Hasan. Kasun Rajitha and Praveen Jayawickrama in for Vishwa Fernando and Lasith Embuldeniya. Rajitha, in fact, played the first Test as Fernando's concussion sub.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain.
Sri Lanka: Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha.
9:03 AM IST: Toss
Bangladesh win the toss and they will bat first.
8:56 AM IST: What Happened In First Test
A high-scoring first Test! Sri Lanka scored 397 runs, thanks to Angelo Mathews' 199, then made 260/6, in reply to Bangladesh's first innings score of 465, before both the sides agreed to shake hands.
