Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test at Colombo: Dinesh Chandimal’s lone hand, visitors’ milestone and other highlights

Day One of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at P Sara Oval, Colombo saw honours being shared.

Day One of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at P Sara Oval, Colombo saw honours being shared. While Bangladesh did take down 7 Sri Lankan wickets, Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten half-century made it even stevens. The tourists made a dream start to their 100th Test, reducing Sri Lanka to 70 for 4 at lunch, but the hosts made a comeback in the final two sessions, thus ending the day on 238 for 7. With the pitch assisting the bowlers and batsmen alike, Sri Lanka have done well to stage a comeback in the match. With Day One out of the way, let us take a look at the highlights from the first day’s play:

Dinesh Chandimal’s lone hand: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Chandimal rode his luck to score an unbeaten 86 and guide his side to a comfortable total almost single-handedly. His side was in trouble after opting to bat early on. They were 13 for 1, then 24 for 2, then 35 for 3 before Chandimal took guard and stitched small-yet-crucial partnerships with the middle order batters. He added 35 with Asela Gunaratne, 66 with Dhananjaya de Silva, 44 with Niroshan Dickwella and an unbroken 43 with skipper Rangana Herath for the next four wickets. It was only because of his knock that the hosts could reach where they have by the end of the day. Full Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test at Colombo

Luck plays a part too… Chandimal’s knock was not a chanceless one. He first escaped a close LBW call off Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling, as the television umpire found that the ball was sliding down the leg. Moreover, there was no conclusive evidence on ball hitting the bat before the catch at slip was completed. He then escaped a tough call when Mehedi Hasan Miraz took a stunning running in from fine-leg off his top edge. The umpires were not convinced of the catch being taken cleanly, and hence Chandimal’s vigil continued. Full Cricket Updates: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test at Colombo, Day 1

A few firsts… Bangladesh’s pace duo of Mustafizur Rahman and Subashis Roy started off with maidens. In fact, first three overs bowled by Bangladesh were maidens. It was the first time in Bangladesh’s history that they started a Test with three successive maidens! Later, Kusal Mendis was stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim. It was the first time in his Test career that Mendis got out coming down the pitch. Chandimal plays lone hand as SL end Day 1 of 2nd Test vs BAN at 238 for 7

Say no to reverse-sweeps: Reverse-sweeps from Sri Lankan batsmen just did not come out nice on Day One. While Dickwella was clean bowled by Shakib when he went for one, Herath was given out LBW. However, he took a review and got the decision overturned.

Bangladesh’s fielding: Bangladesh’s fielding has got a lot of stick in the recent times. In New Zealand and even in India, their fielders, including ’keeper Mushfiqur, dropped catches aplenty. Mushfiqur even missed a crucial stumping in India. However, in the 100th Test, the team looked a completely different outfit in the field. The fielders took some sharp catches, in slips as well as in the outfield. A good and happy transformation this is for the visitors.

The 100th Test: The youngest Test playing nation, Bangladesh joined other nations in the 100-Test club. To mark this occasion, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) hosted a team dinner for them on the eve of the second Test. Besides, the board also organised a medal-awarding ceremony prior to the beginning of the Test, which was graced by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan Papon.

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