Rare feat for Sri Lanka fast bowlers in Sylhet Test

Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara took ten wickets between them on day two of the first ICC World Test Championship Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet to put the visitors in the driving seat.

This was the first time Sri Lanka's quicks had taken all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match in Asia since 1992. 

Having made 280 batting first, Sri Lanka's quicks sizzled with the ball to clean Bangladesh up for 188 to help take a significant lead on a seaming wicket in Sylhet. 

"They [fast bowlers] bowled really well to get all ten wickets," Sri Lanka's fast bowling coach Dharshana Gamage said after the day's play.

"Our basic plan, what we spoke about the most, was discipline. It was because of our discipline that we were successful and ultimately able to get all ten wickets. We bowled in the right areas, bowled good spells. From both ends, we developed good bowling partnerships."

Fernando took four wickets while Rajitha and Kumara shared three apiece to give Sri Lanka a healthy lead in the first innings. It proved to be useful as their batters too struggled against Bangladesh's bowling in the second innings. 

Kumara, who is on a comeback trail having last played a Test match exactly one year ago, picked the key wickets of opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain, and Litton Das.

Gamage said that Kumara had "worked hard on workload" in the few months prior to this Test match.

"We try to bowl few long spells in practice to get used to bowling in Test cricket. Kumara is in good shape at the moment. He showed that he could bowl consistently in the right areas and cause a lot of problems."

The performance of the pace trio meant that Sri Lanka lead by 211 runs at stumps on day two with five wickets left.

Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, who made a hundred in the first innings, is unbeaten on 23 and will hope to put up a solid target on day three. 

Sri Lanka have lost both their Test matches in the cycle of the ICC World Test Championship while Bangladesh are fourth in the points table with one win and one loss.