Dhaka: Roshen Silva hit an unbeaten half-century to put Sri Lanka in command of the second Test after stretching their lead to 312 against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday.
The visitors reached 200-8 at stumps on day two in their second innings. The batting effort came after debutant spinner Akila Dananjaya led an inspirational attack to dismiss Bangladesh for 110 in the morning session.
Silva was batting on 58, his second fifty in the game, which came amid a regular fall of wickets on what seemed a difficult batting pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The highest successful run-chase at the ground is England’s 209-1 against the hosts in 2010.
Suranga Lakmal, who claimed three wickets with his pace bowling, was keeping Silva company on seven as the islanders kept building on their sizeable first-innings lead of 112.
Paceman Mustafizur Rahman took three wickets while spinners Taijul Islam and Mehedi Hasan Miraz claimed two each.
Opener Kusal Mendis was out early after veteran left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak trapped the batsman leg-before for seven.
Left-handed opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who made 32, and Dhananjaya de Silva, who hit 28, got starts but failed to convert them into bigger scores.
Silva got to the grind building crucial partnerships including a 51-run fifth-wicket stand with skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who made 30.
Earlier Bangladesh, who started the day on 56-4 in response to Sri Lanka’s 222, faltered against Dananjaya’s mystery spin that rattled the hosts’ middle and lower-order.
Dananjaya, who is playing his first Test after 19 One-Day Internationals and nine Twenty20 games, returning impressive figures of 3-20.
The 24-year-old Dananjaya has off-spin as his stock delivery but can surprise the batsmen with leg-spin googly and carrom balls.
Dananjaya cleaned up skipper Mahmudullah Riyad for 17, and got two more wickets in Sabbir Rahman — out for a duck — and Razzak to flatten the Bangladesh batting.
Mehedi, who was sent in as nightwatchman on day one, remained unbeaten on 38 — the highest score in the Bangladesh innings.
The first Test ended in a draw in Chittagong.
Scorecard
Bangladesh 1st Innings (overnight 56-4)
Tamim Iqbal c and b Lakmal 4
Imrul Kayes lbw b Perera 19
Mominul Haque run out 0
Mushfiqur Rahim b Lakmal 1
Liton Das b Lakmal 25
Mehidy Hasan not out 38
Mahmudullah b Dananjaya 17
Sabbir Rahman c Chandimal b Dananjaya 0
Abdur Razzak c and b Dananjaya 1
Taijul Islam run out 1
Mustafizur Rahman lbw b Perera 0
Extras: (2lb, 1w, 1nb) 4
Total: (all out, 45.4 overs) 110
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-4, 3-12, 4-45, 5-73, 6-107, 7-107, 8-109, 9-110, 10-110.
Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 12-4-25-3 (1w), Dilruwan Perera 11.4-4-32-2 (1nb), Akila Dananjaya 10-2-20-3, Rangana Herath 12-1-31-0.
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings
Dimuth Karunaratne c Kayes b Mehidy 32
Kusal Mendis lbw b Razzak 7
Dhananjaya de Silva b Taijul 28
Danushka Gunathilaka lbw b Mustafizur 17
Dinesh Chandimal lbw b Mehidy 30
Roshen Silva not out 58
Niroshan Dickwella c Mahmudullah b Taijul 10
Dilruwan Perera c Das b Mustafizur 7
Akila Dananjaya c Das b Mustafizur 0
Suranga Lakmal not out 7
Extras: (4lb) 4
Total: (for 8 wickets, 62 overs) 200
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-53, 3-80, 4-92, 5-143, 6-170, 7-178, 8-178.
Bowling: Abdur Razzak 17-2-60-1, Mustafizur Rahman 12-2-35-3, Taijul Islam 19-2-72-2, Mehidy Hasan 14-3-29-2.
