1st Test
Day 1
Bangladesh 374/4 (90 ov)
Sri Lanka
Mominul Haque, focused, fluent and scintillating, hoisted Bangladesh to an authoritative position in the Chittagong Test. Having put on a 236-run third-wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul has not quite batted Sri Lanka out of the game, but the visitors will find it difficult to win from here. Though they struck twice with the second new ball, there is plenty of batting to come from Bangladesh yet, not least from Mominul himself, who was unbeaten on 175 off 203 balls at stumps.
Sri Lanka were occasionally wayward - 20-year-old Lahiru Kumara especially guilty of leaking runs in the morning - but the spinners, largely, were neutered for large periods of the day. This surface is expected to take turn later in the game, but there was little help for the finger spinners once the morning's moisture had dried up. Herath and Dilruwan Perera bowled 44 overs between them, and gave up 198 runs for only one wicket. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan was the only bowler to gain appreciable turn.
Having come in just after Tamim Iqbal's breakneck fifty had ended, Mominul was fluent from the outset, placing a sumptuous drive through the covers early in his innings, then hitting a beautiful aerial cut behind the wicket before lunch. Having skipped to 26 off 39 balls by the end of the first session, his pace quickened in the afternoon.
Though never less than assured against the quicks, it was Mominul's progress against the spinners that was most impressive. Soon after lunch, he struck successive boundaries off Sandakan - the first a handsome lofted off drive, the second a whip over midwicket. As the middle session wore on, even Herath began to ail against Mominul, who eased him wide of mid-on to complete a half-century off 59 balls.
Though runs came at pace, at no stage did Mominul appear rushed. All through day one, he was defined by timing, placement and grace. Though occasionally helped by poor groundfielding - Kumara a particularly sloppy presence in the field - at no stage did Mominul offer a chance. He spent no more than eight balls in the nineties, hitting Sandakan for two more consecutive fours to move to triple figures off the 96th delivery he had faced. Usually an undemonstrative player, Mominul wiped tears and gestured animatedly on this occasion, having been in and out of the Test side over the past year. His hundred was the second-fastest for a Bangladesh batsman, behind Tamim's 94-ball ton at Lord's.
If his rapid progress in the afternoon befitted a young player proving he belonged at this level, then in the evening Mominul was measured and mature. In response to more defensive fields from Sri Lanka, Mominul settled into a diet of runs into the outfield, though the boundaries were never scarce either. Mushfiqur, who had largely played a supporting act to Mominul in the afternoon, began to assert himself in the third session as well, often favouring the offside when he ventured the more expansive strokes. His fifty came off 121 balls, but the next 42 runs were faster. By the time Lakmal had Mushfiqur caught behind with the second new ball, the Bangladesh pair had taken their side from a comfortable position to a truly commanding one.
That Liton Das was bowled shouldering arms to Lakmal's next delivery, which jagged in off the surface, will give Sri Lanka mild satisfaction, but their day, nevertheless was dispiriting, virtually from start to finish.
Tamim had hit successive fours in the second over of the day, and that salvo did not relent, as he progressed to a 46-ball half century. His opening partner Imrul Kayes perhaps should have been out in the sixth over, however. His miscued hook off Kumara hung long in the air, but Lakmal ran a poor line towards it at the fine leg fence, and failed to even attempt the catch.
Tamim was bowled by a beautifully flighted Perera delivery that wriggled between his bat and pad. Kayes batted well with Mominul after Tamim's departure, but failed to read a Sandakan googly that struck him on the pad. Projections showed that that ball would have passed over the stumps however; Kayes would have been reprieved had he reviewed.
Day 2
Bangladesh 513
Sri Lanka 187/1 (48 ov)
Sri Lanka trail by 326 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Mahmudullah's 83 not out heaved Bangladesh to 513, before the two big hopes of Sri Lanka's top order - Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis - wiped 187 runs off the deficit together, and remained unbeaten at the close of play.
Though the spinners had a little more purchase, this was, in short, another batting day in Chittagong. Rangana Herath did impose himself on the match for the first time and Mehidy Hasan took the only Sri Lanka wicket with the new ball, when the opposition were still scoreless. But only the occasional ball turned sharply, and the quicks had little assistance. By mounting such a monumental score, however, Bangladesh have given themselves a cushion - Sri Lanka must bat well again on Friday to come to a position of parity.
De Silva, rarely rattled, was calm and assertive from the outset, driving impeccably, and never shy to flit around the crease in the course of manufacturing of a dab or a lap sweep against the spinners. There is growing sentiment that he is one of Sri Lanka's most versatile Test batsmen, and this innings was further evidence. No portion of the field was unfruitful for Dananjaya, and bowler could trouble him for long. If a few dot balls mounted, he would slink down the pitch to loft the spinner over the offside, or back away to punch him square of the pitch. Where many batsmen fear losing their wickets just before a break, Dananjaya saw opportunity; thrice he ran at Taijul Islam in the over before tea, and thrice he hoisted him over the infield for boundaries. In between the big blows, singles and twos, eased comfortably through the field - no fuss, just confident Test batting.
The only half-chance off de Silva's bat came when he was on 65, and Mustafizur Rahman drew an edge with a ball that straightened. The chance flew low between first and second slip, neither fielder getting close to the ball. A few overs later, Taijul Islam hit him on the pad after he had skipped down the track, and Bangladesh burned one of their reviews, now quite desperate to dislodge him. As he had been struck more than three metres from the stumps, the ball tracking did not even come into play. Six overs later, after a minor deceleration during the nineties, Dananjaya struck a sublime backfoot punch off Taijul to complete a 122-ball century. It was his second triple-figure score in as many innings: the excellent match-saving hundred at Delhi being his most recent effort.
Mendis' innings, was not nearly as convincing. He had been beaten repeatedly by Sunzamul Islam in the early overs, and was often uncomfortable against each of Bangladesh's three left-arm spinners, right until the final over of the day. He could have been caught in the slips twice. He was dropped by a diving Mehidy on four, off the bowling of Mustafizur, and later, Mehidy had a similarly difficult chance go down of his own bowling. Batting on 57, Mendis edged a straighter delivery, that just evaded he keeper's gloves, but was too fine for slip to lay a hand on it. There was an lbw review against him also, but as the ball was passing over the stumps, the original decision prevailed.
In between the tetchy moments, were flashes of Mendis skill - the rocket-powered flat sweeps, and the rapid pull shots whenever the bowlers dropped short. All six of Mendis' intentional boundaries came on the legside, as did a majority of his singles. This being his comeback Test innings after being dropped for the tour of India, Mendis stuck largely to his stronger scoring areas. The two had come together after Dimuth Karunaratne fell in the third over, edging Mehidy to slip.
Earlier on day two, Mahmudullah had been the spine in a good lower-order batting effort from Bangladesh. Though they had lost two quick wickets inside the first seven overs - including that of overnight centurion Mominul Haque - Mahmudullah had combined with Sunzamul Islam to ensure Bangladesh remained on track for a score of over 500. The two put on 58 for the eighth wicket, before Sunzamul was stumped down the legside, having failed to read a Lakshan Sandakan googly. Mahmudhullah trusted his tail-end partners. Only when No. 11 Mustafizur came to the crease did he kick his own innings into a higher tempo, and even then, did not turn down singles.
Suranga Lakmal dismissed Mustafizur with a short ball to finish with the innings' best figures of 3 for 58. The spinners' returned far less flattering numbers. Dilruwan Perera and Herath both conceded well over a hundred runs, and Lakshan Sandakan had 2 for 92.
Day 3
Bangladesh 513
Sri Lanka 504/3 (138 ov)
Sri Lanka trail by 9 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Three-hundred-and-seventeen runs, for the loss of two wickets. So passed another batting day in Chittagong - a day on which Sri Lanka moved to a position of true strength for the first time in the game, and a day in which a draw became a distinct possibility, such is the absence of wear on this surface. Batsmen prospered more or less relentlessly, and only when the ball was new did it pose them challenges. Bangladesh's bowlers were ground down, two of them now having conceded over a hundred, and a third having given away 97. Fielders were run haggard. Only nine runs behind the opposition now, Sri Lanka have seven wickets remaining, and a shot at establishing a large first-innings lead.
It is to the overnight pair of Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva that the first half of the day belonged, and they who ticked off a number of personal milestones during the course of their 308-run second-wicket stand. Mendis completed his fourth Test ton early in the day, before his scoring picked up speed in the afternoon session, and he went on to make 196. Dhananjaya, flowing and assertive (just as he had been on day two), hit a personal high score of 173, in the course of which he became Sri Lanka's equal fastest batsman to 1000 Test runs. Mendis too registered his highest Test score, just pipping the 194 he had hit - also against Bangladesh - last year.
Once those two had departed, and after Mendis had forged a 22-over, 107-run association with Roshen Silva, the scoring slowed significantly. Dinesh Chandimal batted at his now-familiar laboured fashion, making 37 off 90 deliveries, with only one boundary to his name. Roshen was quicker, but hardly rapid. He went to stumps thirteen runs shy of a maiden Test hundred, having faced 173 deliveries. This was only his third Test innings.
For Bangladesh the day was one of missed opportunity. Mustafizur Rahman will feel he should have had Mendis out for the second time in the innings, when Mendis edged a back-of-a-length delivery. That chance, though, split first and second slip right down the middle, and Mendis was given a third reprieve on 83, having also edged wide of a slip fielder while on 4 and 57. Roshen would then have been stumped on 1, had wicketkeeper Liton Das collected a Mehidy Hasan delivery down the legside. Later another opportunity to dismiss Mendis - this time via a run-out - was also bungled. With Chandimal batting so sedately, there were no chances after tea. Bangladesh's only consolation was that they gave away just 88 in the third session, compared to 108 and 121 in the first two.
Day 4
Bangladesh 513 & 81/3
Sri Lanka 713/9d
Bangladesh trail by 119 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 2nd innings
The fall of three late Bangladesh wickets lent hope the Chittagong Test may yet produce a result, after Sri Lanka had secured a first-innings lead of 200, amassing 713 for 9. Roshen Silva completed an assured hundred, Dinesh Chandimal a measured 87 and Niroshan Dickwella a rapid 62, but it was Sri Lanka's spinners who truly breathed life into the game. Finding turn with the almost-new ball, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan and Rangana Herath struck once each in the final 12 overs of the day. With both Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal among those dismissed, the Bangladesh middle order is now charged with carrying them to safety on day five. They are still 119 runs behind.
The late wickets came after the hosts had begun their second innings with such confidence. Tamim Iqbal was not quite as belligerent as he had been in the first innings, but he was nevertheless positive, stroking Herath through midwicket early in his innings, before delectably flicking Suranga Lakmal through square leg in the fourth over. Sri Lanka raised some good lbw shouts, but batting still appeared a relatively uncomplicated exercise. Imrul Kayes was quieter than Tamim, but hardly seemed to be struggling.
It was in the over that Imrul was dismissed that the vibe changed. Tamim was beaten twice by turning Dilruwan Perera deliveries before he finally managed to get himself off strike off the fifth ball. Imrul then somehow managed to get the toe-end of his bat to an attempted ramp shot, and the ball looped out towards the square leg fielder, who completed an easy take. The remaining 11.5 overs were tense; only two boundaries were struck before stumps. Tamim was largely to blame for his dismissal - prodding at a Sandakan ball that was not threatening the stumps, only to send a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Mushfiqur, however, can consider himself very unlucky. He got forward to defend a full delivery from Herath, only for the ball to hit his bat and bounce off his shoe. Kusal Mendis took a good low catch at silly point.
Sri Lanka's march to their gargantuan score was, it must be said, utterly tedious viewing, even if it may turn out to be in service of a Test win. The morning session was another speckled with Sri Lanka milestones - Roshen and Chandimal bringing up the third century stand of the innings, before Roshen completed a proficient maiden Test ton. Later in the session, after Roshen had been caught behind off a Mehidy Hasan delivery, Sri Lanka ploughed on past 600. Bangladesh's bowlers were by now in various states of fatigue, and their four front-line bowlers had all conceded over 100 runs apiece.
Where there had been urgency in the progress of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis on day three, Chandimal had largely been content to inch along, hitting three boundaries off the 185 deliveries he faced. Had he scored 13 more runs, he would have had a fifth Test century against Bangladesh, but soon after lunch, he allowed a straight Taijul Islam delivery to wriggle between bat and pad. The afternoon was enlivened, if only mildly, by Niroshan Dickwella's aggression and Mehidy's bowling.
Dickwella's sweeps and reverse-sweeps kept Sri Lanka's score rolling - the most impressive of those shots the flat reverse sweep against Taijul that scorched to the boundary in front of square. Mehidy flighted the ball nicely and read the batsmen's intentions well, often firing it fast and flat if he sensed his opponent would make an advance down the pitch. For his enduring boldness, Mehidy was rewarded with Dickwella's wicket - the batsman top-edging an ill-advised reverse-sweep against the turn, to a ball that pitched well outside his leg stump. In the previous session, Dickwella had survived an lbw shout against Mehidy that could have fairly been given out, though the not-out decision would not have been overturned on review either.
Dilruwan Perera contributed a largely uneventful 32 to the score, but when three quick wickets fell either side of tea, Chandimal decided Sri Lanka had batted long enough. All up, they had kept Bangladesh in the field for 199.3 overs, which was only three balls fewer than the longest stretch in the field a Bangladesh side had ever endured. Taijul's workload was immense - he had bowled 67.3 overs in the innings.
Day 5
Bangladesh 513 & 307/5d
Sri Lanka 713/9d
Match drawn
A 180-run stand between Mominul Haque and Liton Das stalled Sri Lanka's advance, and helped Bangladesh secure a draw in the Chittagong Test. In the course of that stand, Mominul became the first Bangladesh batsman to hit two centuries in the same Test and took his match aggregate to 281 runs. Liton got to within sight of a maiden ton, but was dismissed for 94.
Theirs, in fact, were the only two wickets to fall on day five. After they had fallen, Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain soaked up almost 18 further overs, before Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal agreed to settle for the draw, with 17 overs remaining in the day. Bangladesh were 107 runs ahead at that stage, with five wickets in hand.
The tedious nature of this Test is likely to prompt scrutiny of the Chittagong surface, on which 1533 runs were scored for the loss of only 24 wickets. On day five, occasional deliveries turned dramatically, but on the whole, batsmen could trust deliveries that pitched on the straight - away from the rough. Even wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who spun the ball harder than any other spinner in this match, was not gaining appreciably more turn on day five, than he had been on days one and two. It is the lack of wear on this surface that has largely led to such dull cricket.
However, Sri Lanka cannot say they made the most of their chances on day five. Batting on 71 just after lunch, Mominul sent an under edge to the wicketkeeper off a Rangana Herath delivery, but Niroshan Dickwella could not hold on. When Liton was on 62, the fielder at short midwicket grassed a tough chance. Another difficult opportunity came to Sandakan late in the second session, when Mahmudullah pulled aerially to cow corner, but the ball burst through his fingers, and Bangladesh's stand-in captain was reprieved on 6.
But those opportunities had come after lunch. In the morning session, Mominul and Liton had played the match situation more or less perfectly, neither counterattacking nor stonewalling, just batting securely and proficiently throughout.
Mominul had some nervy moments early in the day, but he hit a handsome six off Herath in the fifth over of the morning, and was more or less at ease after that - the only exception being when he ducked into a Lahiru Kumara short ball midway through the session and required brief medical attention.
His innings, being a rearguard of sorts, was not so boundary-laden as his effort on day one, but he rotated the strike efficiently nonetheless. His half-century came off 78 deliveries, and his hundred off 154. Where in the first innings there had been an animated celebration, the expressionless raising of the bat in the second dig was more typical of Mominul. Not only was this his second hundred of the match, it was also the second occasion in which he had scored a match-saving century against Sri Lanka in Chittagong, having hit an unbeaten hundred at this venue in 2014.
Liton largely batted in the same vein, favouring the sweep to the spinners and the drive against the quicks, though he was not quite as adept at rotating the strike as Mominul. He brought up a half century - his third in Tests - with a crunching cover drive off Sandakan, and could have had a maiden ton, had he been a little more patient. Batting on 94, he ventured an almighty wallop off Herath, but had not got to the pitch of the delivery. Dilruwan Perera tracked the high chance back from mid off and completed a difficult catch.
Save for one unsuccessful caught-behind review by Sri Lanka, the remainder of the Test was uneventful. Mosaddek closed the shutters, making 8 off 53 balls. Mahmudullah -following some wild strokes in the company of Liton - was measured after the fifth wicket fell. He was unbeaten on 28 off 65 balls when the draw was confirmed.
2nd Test
Day 1
Sri Lanka 222
Bangladesh 56/4 (22 ov)
Bangladesh trail by 166 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Besieged batsmen, violent turn, wicked offcutters, fielders around the bat, and a hail of dismissals. It was as if this Mirpur pitch was on a mission to compensate for five days of boredom in Chittagong. No fewer than 14 wickets fell on a treacherous day-one surface, and by the end of it, Bangladesh were the side in the poorer position. They finished on 56 for 4, still 166 runs short of Sri Lanka's 222. Nothing is certain on tracks such as this, but if Bangladesh are to give themselves a good chance of winning this match, a first-innings lead is almost imperative. They will have to bat last. And the fourth innings will not be pretty.
Playing his first Test in four years, it was Abdur Razzak who was most effective for Bangladesh, taking 4 for 63, while Taijul Islam took three wickets at the other end. For Sri Lanka, however, Suranga Lakmal made the early inroads, removing Tamim Iqbal to claim his 100th Test wicket, before later bowling Mushfiqur Rahim, who shouldered arms. Bangladesh's poor position at stumps was partly down to their own doing: Mominul Haque ran himself out, when, unaware that the throw was coming to his end, he ambled towards the crease and failed to ground his bat.
That Sri Lanka managed to heave themselves to a competitive score was largely thanks to Kusal Mendis, who in the morning session, batted as if on a different plane from his teammates. Unlike at the start of his innings in Chittagong, he was clearly in good touch here, timing the ball nicely from the outset, and rarely appearing overawed by the amount of turn from the surface.
He advanced at almost a run-a-ball for his first 30 runs, sweeping ferociously and slapping spinners disdainfully over midwicket if ever they dropped short. The clatter of wickets at the other end slowed his progress, but in hitting 68 off 98 balls at the top of the innings, he gave the innings a platform. His eventual dismissal was to a sublimely-flighted Razzak delivery, which pitched on off and spun just enough to beat Mendis' defensive prod, but not enough to miss the off stump. Earlier in the innings, Razzak had also accounted for Mendis' opening partner Dimuth Karunaratne, who got himself into a tangle when he ran at the bowler, but could not quite get to the pitch of the delivery, and was stumped.
Roshen Silva, the other half-centurion in the Sri Lanka innings, batted with much less ambition than Mendis, perhaps because the team had slipped to 110 for 6 soon after lunch, and he had to make do with batting alongside the lower order. In both his significant partnerships - a 52-run association with Dilruwan Perera and a 43-run stand with Akila Dananjaya - Roshen was outscored by his partner. His innings featured only one truly risky stroke- the heave for six over long-on off Taijul. Having completed his half-century - his third successive in Tests - in the company of No. 11 Suranga Lakmal, Roshen was caught behind off another near-unplayable ball, this one delivered by Taijul.
Bangladesh left the field with a strut, but minutes after their innings had begun, it began to unravel. Tamim drilled the second ball of the innings, delivered by Lakmal, down the ground for four, but attempting a similar shot next ball, only managed to send a sharp return catch to the bowler. Mominul's complacency would leave the hosts 4 for 2 in the next over. Expecting the throw from mid-off to come into the non-striker's end, Mominul was caught short by Dhananjaya de Silva, whose excellent awareness saw him throwing the ball to the wicketkeeper. Mominul's bat was suspended above the crease when the bails came off.
Mushfiqur and Imrul Kayes attempted a slow rebuild. Until towards the end of his spell, Lakmal noticed Mushfiqur was leaving balls that passed very close to his off stump. Lakmal continued to pitch it in a similar spot, until one moved back in off the seam and clattered into the top of off - Mushfiqur shouldering arms again. Bangladesh's fourth wicket came in the dying moments of the day. Having just raised an lbw shout, Dilruwan Perera pinned Imrul in front of the stumps with an arm ball.
Liton Das, batting more adventurously than the other top-order batsmen, finished the day unbeaten on 24, having struck three boundaries. He had nightwatchman Mehidy Hasan for company.
Day 2
Sri Lanka 200 for 8 & 222
Bangladesh 110
Sri Lanka lead by 312 runs
Debutant Akila Dananjaya ransacked Bangladesh's lower middle order in the morning, and Roshen Silva compiled a second high-quality fifty in the match, as Sri Lanka claimed a 312-run lead and took iron-grip of the Test. That the surface is a spinners' paradise is plain, but Bangladesh's meekness in the first innings has put them on the brink of a series loss. In the most dramatic period of play on day two, the hosts lost their last five wickets for five runs. Not even an inspired Mustafizur Rahman spell late in the day could undo the damage sustained before lunch.
Also driving Sri Lanka ahead on day two were Dhananjaya de Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, none of whom got close to a half-century, but whose innings were vital nonetheless. Bangladesh's spinners were at times guilty of being too wayward. Though they delivered their share of dangerous deliveries through the day, many errors in length also speckled their spells. The visiting batsmen rarely allowed good scoring opportunities to go unused.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz - the best of the home side's spinners - took two for 29 from his 14 overs, and regularly raised wicket-taking opportunities. Taijul Islam also took two wickets, and Abdur Razzak finished with one. Their most potent weapon, however, was Mustafizur and his cutters. In a spell also envenomed by reverse swing, he took the wickets of Dilruwan Perera and Dananjaya off successive balls, and was unlucky to finish without at least one more scalp. Having earlier also trapped Danushka Gunathilaka in front of the stumps, he finished the day with 3 for 35.
But it was Dananjaya whose late-morning spell that was of most consequence to the match situation. To him also went the most perfect spin-bowling dismissal of the game so far. Tossing the ball up outside off stump, Dananjaya got the ball to drift away, before it dipped and spat back at the batsman. Mahmudullah offered a forward defence, but so sharp was the turn,that the ball whistled between bat and pad to hit the very top of middle stump. It was his maiden Test wicket. Dananjaya was suitably ecstatic.
His remaining dismissals were also off-spin classics. Three balls after bowling Mahmudullah, he lured Sabbir Rahman into an off drive, only for the ball to turn more sharply than the batsman expected. The catch, off the inside edge, would be snapped up low to the ground by Dinesh Chandimal at midwicket. Next over, a similar wicket: another turning delivery, another attempted drive, but this time Abdur Razzak's mis-hit shot went straight back to Dananjaya.
With three wickets having fallen in the space of seven Dananjaya deliveries, Sri Lanka were ascendant. As so often happens when their spinners dominate, the fielding also moved to a higher plane. Fielding at short leg, Kusal Mendis snapped up an inside edge off Taijul Islam's bat, and though the batsman spent no more than two seconds out of his crease, Mendis threw down the stumps in a flash, while Taijul's bat was still in the air. The final wicket in the collapse went to Dilruwan Perera.
If by establishing a 112-run lead, Sri Lanka had achieved a commanding position in the game, Roshen was most responsible for leading his side toward impregnability. Measured, and intelligent, he played within his limits, leaving balls that did not threaten his stumps, and yet hitting out at balls that deserved punishment. His footwark was swift and precise. Rarely did the Bangladesh bowlers dominate him for long stretches, though conditions were stacked heavily in their favour. There was no side of the pitch that he favoured, and his 58 not out - to go with the 56 in the first innings - is already more valuable than many hundreds.
While Roshen found a middle ground between attack and defence, the other batsmen were generally more partial to one or the other. De Silva, for example, blazed a trail, cracking Taijul for three boundaries in one over, while constantly going deep in his crease to make possible his late cut. Having sped to 28 off 24, his ambition would prove fatal in the end. Attempting to deflect a Taijul delivery with an open face, he missed it completely and had it clatter into his stumps.
Karunaratne went in the opposite direction. As Bangladesh's spinners largely turned the ball into him, he played for the straighter ball, and adjusted quickly if the delivery was spinning. His 32 came off 95 balls and featured no boundaries. Chandimal's 30 was compiled in a not dissimilar spirit, though he did score much faster.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 222 & 226
Bangladesh 110 & 123 (target: 339)
Sri Lanka won by 215 runs
Bangladesh plunged, Sri Lanka's spinners soared and the Mirpur Test tore to its conclusion midway through day three, the visitors triumphing by 215 runs. Debutant Akila Dananjaya was prime destroyer. He scythed rapidly through the Bangladesh lower-middle order, taking 5 for 24 to make it eight wickets on debut - the best performance by a Sri Lankan on debut. The charge to victory was also sweet for Rangana Herath, who claimed 4 for 49 and in doing so, became the most successful left-arm bowler in Test history.
After even Sri Lanka's lower order had batted with a little mettle, the rate of Bangladesh's demise in this Test will irk the hosts. Only four batsmen made it into double figures, and no one batted for longer than 51 deliveries. The pitch was as treacherous as ever, but chances were too freely given. Perhaps, chasing a highly improbable 339, and with little chance of saving the game, the futility of their situation contributed to their meekness. It took Sri Lanka fewer than 30 overs to clean the opposition up. This was Bangladesh's first series defeat at home since 2015 - the absence of Shakib Al Hasan keenly felt.
The selection of Dananjaya - out of all Sri Lanka's teams until seven months ago, and considered a limited-overs specialist in any case - has proved to be a spectacular move in this Test. Though he bowled only 15 overs in the game (fewer than either of the senior spinners), the overspin he puts on the ball made him a menacing prospect. Repeatedly he had balls leap up off a length, and one such ball struck Liton Das in the glove, and was caught at short leg. Sabbir Rahman was also caught off his glove; Mahmudullah edged another Dananjaya delivery that jumped at him; and Mehidy Hasan nicked a straighter delivery. Wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella helped Dananjaya along to his maiden five-wicket haul. He pulled off a fast stumping of Abdur Razzak when the batsman had merely overbalanced. Dananjaya's 8 for 44 comprise the best debut figures for a Sri Lanka bowler.
While Dananjaya took care of the lower half of the Bangladesh batting order, Herath's best work had come earlier on. One ball after he had been tonked for six by Imrul Kayes, he sent a slider at the batsman, and had him edging behind. Mominul Haque - again Bangladesh's best batsman - was given a light working over, and eventually nicked Herath to Dickwella as well. The wicket that sealed the match was also Herath's. Taijul Islam aimed a gigantic heave over cow corner, but Danushka Gunathilaka was at the boundary to take an outstanding overhead catch. Bangladesh had lost their last five wickets in the space of 33 balls.
The visitors' lead had been 312 even at the beginning of the day - much more than necessary, as it would turn out - but their batting in the first 50 minutes of the day was more indication that this Sri Lanka Test side is rediscovering a little of its old grit. Roshen Silva, the newest member of the top order, added 12 to his overnight score, while Suranga Lakmal, living a little more dangerously, struck boundaries to help swell Sri Lanka's lead by 26. Only one Bangladesh partnership - the 46-run second-wicket association between Mominul and Kayes - was better than this 36-run stand between Roshen and Lakmal. That Chandika Hathurusingha, their coach only four months ago, helped plan their own downfall in this series, will of course sting.
1st T20I
Bangladesh 193/5 (20 ov)
Sri Lanka 194/4 (16.4/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets (with 20 balls remaining)
Dasun Shanaka and Thisara Perera ransacked Bangladesh's bowlers, after a fifty from opener Kusal Mendis, to help Sri Lanka chase down 194 - their highest in T20Is. This after fluent fifties from the returning Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim, who was passed fit after a niggle, led the hosts to their highest total in T20Is.
Kusal Mendis, who had replaced the injured Kusal Perera, struck his maiden T20I fifty to give the chase direction. Sri Lanka then suffered a wobble when they lost Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga in quick succession, but Shanaka and Thisara added an unbroken 65-run stand for the fifth wicket to take their team home.
Mendis and Gunathilaka launched the chase with four boundaries off seamer Mohammad Saifuddin in the second over, which cost 19 runs. While Mendis was particularly strong through midwicket, Gunathilaka regularly pierced the off-side gaps with cuts and drives. The pair added 53 for the opening stand before left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam - one of Bangladesh's four debutants - had Gunathilaka stumped for a 15-ball 30.
Mendis, however, continued his aggression: he welcomed Mustafizur Rahman into the attack with a hat-trick of boundaries through the covers. He went onto bring up a 25-ball fifty when he launched Afif Hossain - also on debut - over midwicket for a six. The offspinner hit back when he had Mendis holing out to long-off two balls later.
Tharanga didn't last for too long thereafter, falling to a catch at the midwicket boundary in the ninth over but Shanaka restored Sri Lanka's rhythm with back-to-back sixes off Mahmudullah in the next over.
Saifuddin then leaked three boundaries in the 11th over but Rubel Hossain gave Bangladesh hope when he had Dickwella top-edging a catch to fine leg. Thisara and Shanaka then combined to tear up the Bangladesh attack. Thisara was particularly severe on Rubel, hitting 18 runs off six balls, including two sixes. He finished with 39 not out off 18 balls while Shanaka hit an unbeaten 42 off 24 balls.
Bangladesh's bowling starkly contrasted with their batting. Sarkar marked his return to the team with a maiden T20I fifty. He could have been dismissed for 12 had Gunathilaka hung onto a return catch in the second over. Sarkar then took three fours off Isuru Udana in the next over before Gunathilaka bowled debutant Zakir Hasan for 10.
Just as Sarkar looked to reach a higher gear, he was given out lbw off Jeevan Mendis' first ball. Replays indicated that the ball had pitched outside leg stump and was also heading past leg stump. Sarkar, who had fell over trying to pull the delivery, didn't go for a review and walked off.
Afif Hossain, also on debut, fell two balls later, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella showing great awareness to track down the googly, which had hit the back of the bat.
Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah then got into the groove and relaunched Bangladesh's innings in the last 10 overs. Mahmudullah smashed Jeevan Mendis over long-on before he hit Sri Lanka's debutant Shehan Madushanka over the extra-cover boundary. He eventually fell for 43 off 31 balls, having struck two fours too. Mushfiqur, who scored his second T20I fifty, then applied the finishing touches, but it wasn't enough for Bangladesh.
2nd T20I
Sri Lanka 210/4 (20 ov)
Bangladesh 135 (18.4/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 75 runs
Sri Lanka ended their Bangladesh tour in style, crushing the hosts by 75 runs to wrap up the T20 series 2-0. Kusal Mendis, who has been Sri Lanka's most dominant batsman across formats in the last four weeks, starred again with 70 off 42 balls to propel the visitors to 210 for 4. Shehan Madushanka, who was playing his second T20I, and the spinners then skittled Bangladesh for 135 in the chase.
After being sent in, Sri Lanka amassed their highest total against Bangladesh and fifth highest overall. Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka had set the base with a 98-run opening stand before Upul Tharanga and Dasun Shanaka plundered 45 in 19 balls to provide the finishing kick.
Mendis continued from where he had left off in Mirpur and went after the Bangladesh bowlers from the first over. He punished debutants Abu Jayed and Mahedi Hasan in the early exchanges before lofting left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam over his head for a six in the fourth over.
Gunathilaka, who was dropped twice on 15 and 28, contributed 42 in a 98-run opening stand, before part-time seamer Soumya Sarkar had him holing out to long-off in his first over.
Mendis, who had brought up a 29-ball fifty, then ceded the stage to Thisara Perera, who was promoted to No. 3. Thisara laid into Sarkar, hitting three boundaries in the 14th over, including a six over the sight screen. He added 51 off 27 balls with Mendis before he was caught at long-off too.
An over later, Mendis top-edged a pull to deep midwicket, but Tharanga and Shanaka sustained the momentum. Tharanga slammed Jayed for two fours and a six, back-to-back, in the 18th over before Shanaka took four boundaries off Mustafizur Rahman in the next over. Tharanga fell for 25 in the last over of the innings but Shanaka's unbeaten 30 off 11 balls helped Sri Lanka finish strongly.
Sri Lanka then built on their surge by picking up three wickets in the first three overs of the chase. Akila Dananjaya had Sarkar top-edging a catch to Jeevan Mendis at point while Madushanka removed both Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun in the same over.
When Tamim Iqbal became debutant Amila Aponso's maiden international wicket, Bangladesh were 59 for 4. Jeevan Mendis then trapped Ariful Haque for 2 in the next over to extend Bangladesh's misery.
Mahmudullah fought with 41 off 31 balls and added 42 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Saifuddin. The end, however, was swift for Bangladesh: they lost their last five wickets 25 runs to be bowled out in 18.4 overs. Gunathilaka had applied the finishing touches by dismissing Mustafizur and Jayed in four balls.
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