SL rattle top order after declaration

FE Team | Published: July 05, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

It was déjà vu all over again as Sri Lanka, boosted by Kumar Sangakkara's double hundred, stamped their authority for the second day in succession at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium. With the cushion of a 389-run lead, captain Mahela Jayawardene had no hesitation in declaring the innings immediately after Sangakkara reached his landmark, giving his bowlers a shot at the Bangladesh top order. Bangladesh in reply lost four quick wickets to end at 69 for 4, trailing by 320, reports Cricinfo.
The Colombo run-fest continued into the post-lunch session as Sri Lanka, led by Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten 170, piled on the runs and the misery for Bangladesh. With Chamara Silva supporting Sangakkara in an aggressive stand of 92, the lead had stretched to 323, enough to entertain thoughts of an early declaration.
Coincidentally, Bangladesh began the session in the same manner as the first, picking up an early wicket. Let off twice in the morning, Mahela Jayawardene's luck finally ran out when he mistimed a pull off Shahadat Hossain immediately after lunch, missing his half-century by a run. It was a double victory for the bowler, after Jayawardene had a few words to say about his persistent grunting earlier.
As has been the case in this Test, Bangladesh just couldn't maintain the momentum after the initial euphoria of a wicket, and the decision to take the new ball didn't bring about a change in fortunes. With the seamers operating from both ends, Silva and Sangakkara settled into a nice rhythm, with the ball coming on to the bat easily.
Silva carried on from where Jayawardene left off, clipping Shahadat stylishly off his pads for four and then pulling Mashrafe Mortaza over mid-on. The pair added a quick 50 off just 68 balls and the frustration began to show in a brief passage of play, as the fielders conceded overthrows off successive balls.
Silva's urgency spurred Sangakkara to up the tempo and he did so in style. After struggling with his placement in the morning, he found the gaps with precision, spanking one past extra-cover off Mortaza, then taking Shahadat to task with a slash past point. Sangakkara soon reached another landmark - his eighth score of 150 or more in Tests - highlighting his ability to stay at the crease.
Sensing that the seamers weren't effective enough, Mohammad Ashraful threw the ball to Mehrab Hossain Jnr at the fag end of the session and it paid dividends as he struck twice in the same over. Silva could consider himself unlucky after replays suggested that the bat may have struck the ground while attempting an expansive cover-drive. Two balls later, Tillekaratne Dilshan misread the flight and was comprehensively bowled while giving him the charge.
The fluency in the scoring came only after lunch. The accumulation of runs was on the slow side in the morning, picking up later as both Sangakkara and Jayawardene got their eye in and took charge once the spinners came on.
The session had begun on a high note for Bangladesh after Malinda Warnapura, adding just three to his overnight score, perished trying to push the scoring. Shahadat, the most potent among the bowlers, thudded the ball in on a good length, cramping Warnapura for room and a mistimed pull found the fielder at midwicket.
The visitors nearly had another scalp, and a precious one too, as Jayawardene, poked at a delivery by Mortaza just outside the off stump. The outside edge bisected the huge gap between Mushfiqur Rahim and Habibul Bashar at first slip as Sri Lanka managed their first boundary of the day in the most unconvincing manner. Luck really wasn't on Bangladesh's side either, as a thickish outside edge off Sangakkara's bat fell short of Mortaza at slip and raced to the third-man boundary.
Jayawardene pressed on, pulling Mortaza over mid-on and later latching onto Mohammad Rafique, the lone specialist spinner.
Sangakkara, after a sedate beginning, found his feet when Mohammad Sharif came on to bowl. He also chanced his arm against Rafique, reaching three figures with a huge loft down the ground.