Tigers relax while injured trio sweat it out

Bangladesh reinforced an unwanted record in Tests when they were bundled out for 178 on Day 3 in the second innings of the final Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Monday. 

The dismal effort saw the Tigers extend their tally of getting bundled out below 200 to 102 in 276 innings; a percentage of 36. 96 which is the highest amongst teams to have played more than 10 Tests. Only Afghanistan (50%) and Ireland (37.5%) have a higher percentage in this regard but both are yet to play 10 matches in the format.

Zimbabwe comes in second with a percentage of 31.56 as they posted under 200 totals 71 times in 225 innings.

Bangladesh's batting department has blown hot and cold in recent encounters, particularly against oppositions that have been higher in quality than the Tigers. This was their fifth successive under-200 total and left the hosts staring at another likely defeat.  
 

There has been a lot of debate on social media and elsewhere regarding Liton Das's stumping by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Friday's Asia Cup final. The decision was very close, as multiple angles of the sequence showed, before the third umpire finally ruled in favour of India. Here is what Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had to say about this: "It is hard to tell. At one point we felt it was not out. I think the third umpire can say it better. Maybe it will be discussed later."

Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan admitted that his side suffered a comprehensive failure in the batting department but did mention the wind playing a part in the Tigers' dismissals on Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Monday.  

The Tigers dished out another abysmal effort with the bat as they were bundled out for 178 in reply to Sri Lanka's 531-run first-innings total. The hosts started the third day at 55 for the loss of one and lost nine wickets while adding just 123 runs as they were skittled out in the post-Lunch session. 

"We totally failed with the bat. We couldn't bat to our potential or perform our roles. We couldn't play as we were supposed to play," Zakir said after the day's play. 

"We couldn't even execute our first plan. Other plans come later. We couldn't do our basic job. We have to execute our first plan as a batting unit.

"I think the wind played a part in our wickets falling today. Everything else was okay, especially in terms of the wicket. We should have batted much better."

Zakir's knock was the only highlight in Bangladesh's sorry scorecard as the left-handed batter put away eight fours for a 54-run knock -- his fourth fifty in the format – but fell prey to yet another angled in delivery from left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando. Zakir was left bemused at how much the delivery decked in to castle him but his lack of foot movement in trying to negate such deliveries caught the eyes again.

It has been a consistent weakness for Zakir as he was dismissed in similar fashion when he was trapped lbw by Fernando in the first innings of the previous Test in Sylhet. He got stuck in the crease and could do little to fend off a ball which tailed in on the stumps. In the second innings, it was Lahiru Kumara who exposed Zakir's limited foot movement to dismiss him. 

Zakir, however, put the blame on his shot selection. The 26-year-old has scored a century and all of his four fifties in the second innings of those particular matches and would hope to better his knock as the Tigers, owing to Sri Lanka's already 455-run lead, will have to chase down a record total to win the match.   

"I can't speak for others. Maybe a coaching staff can tell you. In my case, I think I should be more careful with my shot selection. I am not giving an excuse. One has to be prepared coming into a Test match. I think we should grow this mentality on our side," he told reporters. 

"All departments have to fire to win a Test match. I think batting is the most important of all. We can't defend a total if we can't put anything on the scoreboard. We need to have a decent score when we want to take 20 wickets. We haven't been able to do it. We are discussing how to get better, but we are somehow failing altogether," he added.

Sri Lanka batters Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis missed out on scoring centuries but managed to put Sri Lanka on top with respective fifties on Day 1 of the second Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday.

The duo put together a 114-run stand to help propel the Lankans to 314 for four at stumps. Karunaratne played one onto the stumps off the bowling of debutant Hasan Mahmud when batting on 86, while Mendis, who scored 93, fell short of his hundred as he edged one to slip to give Shakib Al Hasan his first wicket in the match.

Dinesh Chandimal and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, with 34 and 15 runs respectively, had the Lankans on top at the end of the day.

After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka openers Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka amassed 96 runs for the first wicket, courtesy of a 57-run knock from the latter. Both capitalised on reprieves, with Madushka adding 48 runs to his tally after being dropped on nine by Mahmudul Hasan Joy at second slip. Meanwhile, Karunaratne scored 64 after he was dropped on 22 by Shaklb at deep fine leg.

The Lankans lost two wickets each in the two session after Lunch. The first breakthrough came in the form of a run out when the openers got into a mix up. It was Madushka who pushed for a double after fending it to covers but was left stranded in the middle of the wicket as Liton Das whipped off the bails after Hasan's throw. After almost 17 overs, Hasan was rewarded for his perseverance when Karunaratne played one on while trying to drive through the covers. The Tigers were relived to see the back of Mendis who was seven runs away from a ton. Shakib managed to make his mark on the innings after his initial struggles and Hasan came back to nick off a well-set Angelo Matthews, who scored 23 off 71 balls.  

Hasan strikes just before tea but Sri Lanka on top

Bangladesh struck at the start and end of the post-lunch session which was otherwise dominated by Sri Lanka who have reached 214 for 2 at tea break on Day 1 of the second Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today.

Debutant Hasan Mahmud had a part in both dismissals, as it was his throw from the deep that caused the run out of Nishan Madushka in the second over of the session. Hasan then struck with his first ball in the 29th over of the session when Dimuth Karunaratne, who was batting on 87, dragged the ball onto his stumps, giving the right-arm pacer his first wicket in Tests.

In between the two wickets, the Sri Lankans dominated the session, with Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis adding 114 runs for the second wicket.

Mendis, who completed his 18th half-century, is batting on 65 with Angelo Mathews unbeaten on one at the other end.

Bangladesh finally break the opening stand

Bangladesh finally broke the opening stand in the second over after the lunch break as Nishan Madushanka got run out at the striker's end courtesy of an accurate throw from debutant Hasan Mahmud from the boundary on the opening day of the second Test in Chattogram today.

Dimuth Karunaratne played Mehedi Hasan Miraz to deep cover and completed a single. His partner Madushanka then pushed for a second run and Karunaratne initially responded to the call before stopping in his tracks.

Madushanka ran back and dived but before he could make his ground Liton had already collected Hasan's throw and dislodged the bails.

Madushanka departed for 57 and the opening stand ended on 96.

Karunaratne has now been joined in the middle by Kusal Mendis.

Sri Lanka unscathed in first session as Tigers rue missed chances

Bangladesh would be ruing the missed chances as Sri Lanka made a commanding start on the opening day of their second Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today. 

At lunch, Sri Lanka amassed 88 for no loss in a 27-over session with Nishan Madushka unbeaten on 55 off 97 and Dimuth Karunaratne not out on 33 off 65 deliveries. 

Despite a few close shaves, Madushka and Karunaratne played brilliantly. Early in the innings when pacers Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud were getting the cherry to move a bit, they took their time and offered no shots to deliveries away from their bodies. However, whenever pitched full or on the pads, the duo were quick to punish those. 

Their patience paid off as Madushka got to his second Test fifty, helping Sri Lanka to a dominating position in the game. 
 
Chances came very rarely for Bangladesh but the hosts were wasteful on every occasion. The best and the easiest chance came in the sixth over when debutant pacer Hasan Mahmud had induced an edge off the bat of right-hander Madushka -- on nine at that time -- only to see Mahmudul Hasan Joy fumble at second slip. What makes it the most disappointing is that the ball came directly at Joy at a very comfortable height. 

Karunaratne, the other Sri Lankan opener, then survived a run-out scare in the 16th over. The Sri Lankan batters were caught in two minds while trying to sneak a single, playing a Khaled Ahmed delivery towards point region. Karunaratne, at 18, went almost halfway through the pitch before deciding to come back, and a direct hit from Mehedi Hasan Miraz at point could have seen the end of the left-hander's innings. 

Karunaratne, on 22, once again survived in the 22nd over when he top-edged a Hasan bouncer and saw Shakib Al Hasan at fine leg unable to position himself properly for the catch and eventually pushing it over the boundary for a maximum. It was a tough chance, but reachable if judged properly. 

For Bangladesh, Hasan has been the most impressive, troubling batters early in the innings with enough swing and movement. He came back at the latter stage of the session as well and kept on asking questions.

Another good sign for the hosts was that spinners Shakib and Mehedi Hasan Miraz got some turn with the latter beating the edge of Karunaratne once.
 

Joy drops Madushka as debutant Hasan left frustrated

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud, playing his first Test, was left frustrated when Mahmudul Hasan Joy dropped a sitter at slip to give life to Sri Lanka's Nishan Madushka early on the opening day of their second and final Test in Chattogram today. 

Hasan has been asking questions, swinging the cherry, and beating the edges of the batters since being handed the new ball after the Tigers were asked to bowl on a dry surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 

Bangladesh's best chance in the Test so far came in the sixth over when a back-of-a-length Hasan delivery induced a thick edge off the bat of right-hander Madushka. However, despite being at a comfortable height, Joy fumbled as Madushka breathed a sigh of relief on nine. 

Bangladesh are yet to scalp a wicket as Sri Lanka made 37 for no loss in the first 10 overs. Madushka remains unbeaten on 25 off 36 deliveries while Dimuth Karunaratne is not out on 12 off 24 deliveries. 

Shakib returns, Hasan debuts as Tigers bowl in second SL Test

Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first in the second and final Test against Bangladesh at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today. 

Premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returned while pacer Hasan Mahmud has been handed his Test debut for the Tigers, who will be hoping to bounce back following a 328-run drubbing in the first Test in Sylhet. 

Shakib, who had been suffering from an eye problem and had opted out of the entire Sri Lanka series initially, is returning to red-ball cricket after almost a year. He last played in the Test against Ireland in Mirpur in April 2023. 

Bangladesh made two changes from the eleven that played in Sylhet. Hasan replaced pacer Shoriful Islam while young and exciting pacer Nahid Rana, who made a promising debut in Sylhet, had to be dropped to make way for Shakib. 

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud gets his Test cap. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

Hasan has already represented Bangladesh in 22 ODIs and 17 T20Is. 

With the Chattogram surface expected to aid the spinners more, Bangladesh went with three spinners and two pacers for the game. While Shakib will bolster the spin department, also including Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, it will be Khaled Ahmed and Hasan who will form the Tigers' pace battery. 

Bangladesh will also be without head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who travelled back to Australia for personal reasons. The Tigers's assistant coach Nic Pothas will be in charge of this game. 

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are missing pacer Kasun Rajitha, who injured his back in the Sylhet Test in which he took eight wickets. His replacement Asitha Fernando starts the game.  

Playing XIs: 

Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando

Bangladesh advanced into the semifinals of the SAFF U-20 Championship with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in first Group A match at ANFA Complex in Nepal today. 

Three-time runners-up Bangladesh took the lead in the first-half with a tap-in from forward Mirajul Islam before substitute Piash Ahmed Nova sealed the victory with the second five minutes from full-time.

Sri Lanka came into the match with a must-win situation following a 1-0 defeat against Nepal in their first match and a second loss paved the way for a group-stage exit as Bangladesh and Nepal advanced to the last four. Bangladesh and Nepal will, however, face each other in the last fixture of the group on August 22 at the same venue which will determine the group winner and runner-up.

Bangladesh, with the strength of experienced players from the Bangladesh Premier League, dominated most of the proceedings and took a deserved lead in the 17th minute but since then faced a bit of pressure from Sri Lanka, who squandered two good chances in the first 45 minutes. However, Bangladesh thwarted the pressure in the second half with three changes and sealed the victory with the second goal.