Tamim Iqbal made an aggressive 74 not out, to steady the Bangladeshi innings after two strikes by Suranga Lakmal on day 5 of the 2nd Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Pallekelle. The game saw an early end due to rain.
Iqbal was the pick of the batsmen for the visitors in the 2nd innings as he took the attack to Sri Lanka, not allowing the hosts to keep pressure on the Tigers after declaring their innings 107 runs ahead. The left hander was a bit fortunate to survive as Sri Lanka thought they had him when the score was on 31/2. Iqbal played an expansive drive which hit Oshada Fernando at silly point before being pouched by Niroshan Dickwella. The soft signal from the on-field umpire was out and the replays were unconclusive, but third umpire Ravindra Wimalasiri overturned the decision to the relief of the visitors.
From that point there was no coming back for Sri Lanka and the visitors closed in on the deficit without losing any further wickets before the rains arrived to end the game.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka stretched their lead to 107 in the 1st session of Day 5 as they looked to force a result.
The hosts’ overnight batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva clearly came out with the thought of making some quick runs, but both were dismissed in the 1st hour of play. De Silva chopped one on off the bowling of Taskin Ahamed and Dimuth Karunaratne followed soon after, giving Ahamed his 3rd wicket of the innings. It was just reward for the pacie, who bowled tirelessly in his comeback to Test cricket.
De Silva fell marginally short of his highest Test score (173 vs Bangladesh) while Karunaratne’s 244 entered the record books as the 10th highest score by a Sri Lankan in Tests. The pair put on 345 runs for the 4th wicket, the 6th highest in Tests for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s intent was clear, but the plan didn’t quite work out as wickets fell regularly during session.
At lunch, Sri Lanka declared on 648/8.
Suranga Lakmal was the man who gave Sri Lanka some hope of an unlikely win as he removed Saif Hassan and 1st innings centurion Najmul Hossain Shanto in quick succession, but it was not to be, as Iqbal and Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque saw the Tigers through to the end of the day’s play with the score reading 100/2.
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