Nissanka 146*, Chandimal 93 put Sri Lanka in control
The hosts were 43 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand after day two
Madushka Balasuriya26-Jun-2025
Dinesh Chandimal and Pathum Nissanka forged a 194-run stand for the second wicket•Associated Press
Stumps On a surface that Bangladesh’s batters had laboured on a day earlier, Sri Lanka’s batters made hay, as a 194-run second-wicket stand between Pathum Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal took the hosts to a 43-run lead at stumps on day two.At the close, nightwatcher Prabath Jayasuriya was in the middle to keep Nissanka – unbeaten on 146 – company, as light began to fade quickly. Jayasuriya had survived a few nervy moments, including a lbw review late, but Sri Lanka went home the happier of the two sides.Related
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Chandimal fell 93 late in the final session, agonisingly short of a 17th Test hundred, attempting a reverse sweep, giving Bangladesh some consolation. The only other wicket had been Lahiru Udara, who had made a meaningful 40 during an 88-run opening stand before being trapped lbw shortly after lunch.In-between those two wickets though, Nissanka was the headline act of another day of Sri Lankan dominance. His was an innings that showed all aspects of the man, from the stoicism which brought him a gritty Test ton on debut, to the belligerence that made him Sri Lanka’s first ever ODI double centurion.With Bangladesh’s final two wickets picked up inside the first hour of play in the morning session, Sri Lanka would have been wary of not succumbing to the same pitfalls that befell the Bangladesh batters, particularly on a wicket that was turning out to not be as batter-friendly as first assumed.But from the very first delivery he faced, an insouciant back foot punch through the covers for four, Nissanka set the tone – and showed that he, and the rest of the Lankan batters, would not be afraid to pounce on any errors. As it turned out there were a fair few of those in the first 10 overs of the Lankan innings, as Sri Lanka racked up nine boundaries in the opening salvo. Their run rate during that time a staggering 5.5.But over the next 11 overs – up until the end of the session – Sri Lanka scored just 28 runs, as Bangladesh led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam reeled things back. And so the innings would ebb and flow in a similar vein, as Sri Lanka gave due respect to the bowlers for their stints of disciplined bowling, but jolted into action when anything loose was on offer.Pathum Nissanka celebrates his fourth Test ton•Associated Press
For much of the final session, it was more of the former as Bangladesh kept things very tight for the first hour or so after tea – attempting to frustrate the Sri Lankan batters with a barrage of short deliveries; Nissanka took two blows on the grill so as to attest to this strategy. It was during this period where runs were at their most premium, but both Nissanka and Chandimal showed admirable patience and refused to take the bait.This was primarily down to the fact that Sri Lanka were confident in the knowledge that runs would be available elsewhere at some point. And so it proved. Twenty-eight runs were scored in the first 12 overs after tea. The next 16 overs brought 72 runs at 4.5 an over.The seamers in particular received a brunt of Sri Lanka’s aggression, with neither Ebadot Hossain nor Nahid Rana able to stick to the consistent lines and lengths that had so well served Sri Lanka’s seam pairing. They had bowled a combined 19 overs for 87 runs, and it might have been worse if not for that period in which they peppered the batters with bouncers in an attempt to dry up the runs.Nayeem Hasan, meanwhile, struggled to replicate the nagging lengths that made him such a difficult proposition in Galle. Though Nissanka and Chandimal did their part admirably in not letting the young spinner settle.In just his second over they struck him for a trio of boundaries, punishing anything too short or too full. Of the 43 deliveries Nayeem bowled to the pair, 45 runs were scored. Nayeem though wound up getting the final say on the day, grabbing the wicket of Chandimal, though he’ll need to put forward a better showing tomorrow if Bangladesh are to keep Sri Lanka from batting them out of the game.At the start of the day, Taijul had shown promise with the bat during a 60-ball 33. He had taken on some short bowling from the seamers, while confidently stepping out against the seamers. Such was his confidence, he was even shielding numbers 10 and 11 from the strike.Sri Lanka though, like they had done throughout day one, stuck to their plans, which in this instance involved lots of short stuff to push the batters back, before sneaking in something fuller. It was this strategy that got the first break of the morning, as Ebadot was caught on his crease that he ideally should have been coming forward to.It wasn’t all perfect for Sri Lanka, however, as they added yet another drop to their catalogue of missed chances in the innings – Kamindu Mendis spilling a low chance off Taijul at mid-off. But Sonal Dinusha returned shortly after, and took just three deliveries to get the last man, as Taijul skied one for mid-off to safely pouch.