GALLE: Bangladesh held the upper hand at the end of Day 4 of the series-opening Test against Sri Lanka, reaching 177-3 in its second innings to lead by 187 runs Friday.
With seven wickets in the hutch and the pitch beginning to show signs of wear and tear, the tourist will fancy its chances of pulling off a rare Test victory overseas and pocketing some precious World Test Championship points in the process.
Having eked out a slender first-innings lead of 10 runs, Bangladesh batted with the sort of positive intent that suggests they were not content to merely survive.
Shadman Islam set the tone, first putting on 24 for the opening wicket with Anamul Haque and then 36 more with Mominul Haque. But it was his third-wicket partnership — a sturdy 68-run stand with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto — that truly swung momentum Bangladesh’s way.
Shadman’s knock of 76 was fashioned with composure and clarity, the left-hander repelling spin and pace alike with soft hands and a watchful eye. He looked set for three figures before Milan Rathnayake trapped him in front, but by then the groundwork had been laid.
In strode the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and together with his skipper — both centurions in the first innings — the pair steadied the ship and nudged the lead beyond 150, blunting Sri Lanka’s hopes of a late-evening flurry.
Earlier in the day, it was off-spinner Nayeem Hasan who turned the tide for the tourists in Sri Lanka’s first innings.
With the host perched on a commanding 470-6 and threatening to surge ahead, Nayeem swooped in. His five-wicket haul — his fourth in Test cricket — was a masterclass in flight, dip and guile, as he rattled the lower order to bowl Sri Lanka out for 485, a lead of merely 10.
The prized wicket was Kamindu Mendis, who had become something of a recurring nightmare for Bangladesh. The ambidextrous maestro was coasting on 87 — scarcely playing a false stroke — when Nayeem found extra bounce and subtle turn to kiss the outside edge, Litton Das gobbling up the catch with glee.
Hasan Mahmud, meanwhile, proved a perfect foil, bowling with control and reverse swing under the afternoon sun, finishing with three wickets and keeping the pressure on from the other end. Together, they orchestrated a collapse of four wickets for just 15 runs — the kind of passage of play that can flip a Test match on its head.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 495 & 177/3 in 57 overs (S Islam 76, N Shanto 56 batting) vs Sri Lanka 485