Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella catches Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal off Ramesh Mendis for 24 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Bad light halted Sri Lanka’s advance in the fourth day of the second Test at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium as they closed in on a Test win in 16 months by capturing five Bangladesh wickets for 177, after setting them a stiff target of 437 to chase in the fourth innings. 

Sri Lanka’s last Test win was on 23 January 2020 when they beat Zimbabwe by ten wickets at Harare and since then they have played eight Tests, lost 4 and drawn 4. 

It was a tall order for the Bangladeshi batsmen to survive on a pitch that had slowed down but provided bounce and turn for the two inexperienced spinners Ramesh Mendis and debutant Praveen Jayawickrama, who were once again their nemeses.

The pair has picked up all five wickets to fall in the second innings so far with Mendis on this occasion outshining his younger partner by snaring the big wickets of Bangladesh’s batting – Tamim Iqbal (24), skipper Mominul Haque (32) and Mushfiqur Rahim (40) to end the day with figures of 3 for 86 although he was inconsistent with his lines and lengths and conceded runs more than he should have in his 20 overs.

Jayawickrama whose six-wicket haul in the first innings has put Sri Lanka in a commanding position to win the Test match added a further two wickets to his tally conceding 58 runs taking his match tally to eight wickets to be equal with two other Sri Lankan spinners Akila Dananjaya and Ajantha Mendis who each took eight wickets in a match on Test debut.

Provided there are no interruptions due to bad light or bad weather Sri Lanka should wrap up this Test match before lunch on the fifth and final day today. They require five more wickets to claim a 1-0 series win and as for Bangladesh they need an unlikely 260 runs to win or bat out the entire day for a draw hoping for the light and weather to assist them.

What has led to Bangladesh’s fall was their batsmen’s uncertainty to play forward or back on a pitch that was giving assistance to the spinners. It was more the indecisiveness in their minds that contributed to their downfall. They were unable to settle down and get any big partnerships going to provide a threat to the target, for Sri Lanka kept on picking up wickets regularly whenever Bangladesh looked like settling down.

When play began on the fourth day Sri Lanka went in search of quick runs and declared after lunch at the fall of the ninth wicket at 194 leaving Bangladesh to chase 437 for victory in four and a half sessions.

Trying to be positive Sri Lanka lost wickets quickly but Karunaratne in the form of his life completed another half-century (66 off 78 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) to take his aggregate for the series to 428 runs (avg. 142.66), the first time he has crossed that mark in a series. His three innings comprised a double hundred, one hundred and a fifty.

Dhanajaya de Silva chipped in with 41 off 52 balls and 24 apiece from Pathum Nissanka and Niroshan Dickwella brought Sri Lanka within range of the target they wanted to set Bangladesh. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had some easy pickings as the batsmen went on the offensive taking five wickets in an innings for the eighth time in his 

33-Test career.

In comparison to the first Test where only 17 wickets fell for the entire five days, in the ongoing Test 13 wickets have fallen on the third day and 12 on the fourth yesterday thus bringing about a complete contrast to the pitches prepared for the two Tests.  

Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis scalps another Bangladesh batsman on his way to career-best figures

Sri Lanka new bowling sensation left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama who has seven wickets in his kitty already

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam (centre) is congratulated by teammates after taking five wickets

Mendis and Jayawickrama a perfect blend – both played for the same club