Taijul Islam has grabbed a five-wicket haul to tear through Sri Lanka’s batting order, restricting them to 458 in the Colombo Test.
Bangladesh’s bowlers managed to restrict the hosts, but the Tigers still face a stiff challenge as they trail by 211 runs on Friday, reports bdnews24.com.
With a 43-run lead and eight wickets in hand, Sri Lanka seemed on strong footing at the start of the day.
But Taijul (5-131) made an early breakthrough to dismiss centurion Pathum Nissanka (158). Nissank misjudged the pitch of the ball, ended up pushing it into the hands of Anamul Haque at short cover.
Taijul struck again soon after, picking off Sri Lankan captain Dhananjayar de Silva with a rap on the pads before the stumps.
Nahid Rana (3-87) then got in on the action as Mehidy Hasan Miraz managed to hold on to an edge from Prabath Jayasuriya.
Just as the momentum swung in Bangladesh’s favour, Kamindu Mendis (33) and Kusal Mendis (84) began to steady the innings.
While Kusal battled on at one end, wickets kept falling at the other. Nayeem bowled Sonal Dinusha, while Taijul baited Tharindu Ratnayake into giving up his wicket.
An ill-judged attempt at a second run saw Kusal run out. Taijul wrapped up the innings by scalping Asitha Fernando.
Bangladesh’s batters will now have to overcome the substantial deficit and post serious runs to get them back in the game.
