Bangladesh 89/2

Bangladesh openers put on a good stand before falling in quick succession in their second innings of the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday. The hosts were 89 for two wickets in the first session on the final day. chasing 467 to win. Imrul Kayes was batting on 24 which he scored from 45 balls while Mominul Haque was the other unbeaten bat in the crease with 25 off 53 balls. Opener Shamsur Rahman went back to the pavilion for 45 runs in 35th over when off-spinner Dilruwan Perera picked him up.The other opener, Tamim Iqbal, was bowled by leggie Kithuruwan Vithanage and headed to the gallery on 31 runs in the 30th over. The Tigers were struggling at 89 for two wickets before lunch. Earlier report said Kumara Sangakkara eased, almost casually, to a 35th career hundred in a match already heaving with his runs, completing a feat only Graham Gooch had achieved before him. A whip over the midwicket ropes took him over 100 in almost the same fashion he had brought up his triple century in the first innings, and raised his match-tally to 424 –the third highest in Tests. Thanks in large part to his epic labours, Sri Lanka have almost certainly made themselves safe in the Test, with one full day remaining to chase a 2-0 result. A resurgent Dinesh Chandimal registered a measured ton of his own, to stretch Sri Lanka’s advantage on the fourth afternoon and evening. The declaration, at 305 for 4, came upon his entry to triple figures, leaving Bangladesh with one day and 25 minutes to bat out. They went to stumps unscathed after eight tense overs, 455 runs adrift of the visitors. Sangakkara’s numbers against Bangladesh have now moved into a superhuman realm. In his last eight innings against them, he has hit 994 runs, never failing in that stretch to cross 50. In fact, only six times in 21 trips to the crease against Bangladesh, has Sangakkara failed to notch a half-century. An average of 95.57 is unsurprisingly his highest against any team. On this occasion, Bangladesh can blame their torment on a fielding error. On 36, Sangakkara attempted to blast over the deep midwicket rope, but mis-hit a ball from Shakib Al Hasan to Nasir Hossain, who only had to run a few metres to his left. Shakib had built significant pressure alongside Mahmudullah to provoke the stroke and, upon seeing the catch grassed, he scratched his head in extreme frustration, holding back fury. Sangakkara’s progress took an irritatingly familiar form for Bangladesh, who employed various fields against him but could not stem the effortless flow of runs. With Sri Lanka having lost three relatively cheap wickets, Sangakkara only pursued the poor balls with aggression - sliding back to slam the short deliveries with particular disdain. Mostly, he busied himself with strike rotation, giving constant nuggets of advice to Chandimal, who was fighting for form. It wasn't until he neared his ton that he began to assert himself. Until then, he had collected his runs almost on the sly. Chandimal was similarly averse to belligerence, and just as efficient at risk-free accumulation. He hit only four fours in nearly three hours at the crease, yet scored his runs at a strike rate of 63. Shakib had troubled him in doses throughout the innings, spinning some past his blade and striking him on the pad, but the grit that had been absent from his game returned. His 145-run stand with Sangakkara was the flesh of Sri Lanka's second innings, after the two had been joined at 78 for 3. Perhaps aware Chandimal was short of some self-confidence ahead of two months of less-favoured limited-overs cricket, Angelo Mathews delayed the declaration until the batsman had reached his third Test century - all of which have come against Bangladesh. Chandimal may now look with more enthusiasm at the task of leading his team in the World Twenty20 in six weeks. The hosts’ only breakthrough in the middle-session had been Mahela Jayawardene's wicket for 11. Shakib pitched one on off and got it to straighten, striking Jayawardene on the front pad in front of middle. Jayawardene felt the ball had not turned sharply enough to hit leg stump, but replays did not offer a conclusive answer, according to cricinfo.