Nissanka, Chandimal place Sri Lanka firmly in driving seat

Second Test against Bangladesh at SSC

Friday, 27 June 2025 01:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Lahiru Udara scored a brisk 40 and with Pathum Nissanka produced Sri Lanka’s first half-century opening stand in 20 innings

Pathum Nissanka celebrates his second century of the series in customary style

Taijul Islam took Bangladesh’s solitary wicket—that of Lahiru Udara lbw

Pathum Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal were involved in a second wicket stand of 194

Pathum Nissanka, with his second century of the series, and Dinesh Chandimal, very unfortunate to miss three-figures by seven runs, placed Sri Lanka in the driving seat to push for a big first innings total at the end of the second day of the second cricket Test at the SSC Grounds yesterday.

Their second wicket partnership of 194 off 310 balls carried Sri Lanka to 290-2, giving them a first innings lead of 43 with eight wickets in hand. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh, resuming at 220-8, were dismissed for 247.

Things would have been even better had Chandimal not thrown away a golden chance of scoring his 17th Test hundred when he was dismissed towards the fag end of the day playing a reverse sweep to a ball from off-spinner Nayeem Hasan to be caught off his gloves by wicket-keeper Litton Das.

Non-striker Nissanka was down on his haunches and the look on his face and dropped shoulders said it all. Nothing hurt more than seeing a brilliant innings fall just short of a well-deserved century. It was a needless shot from the veteran batter and he was dismissed in the nineties for the first time in his 90-Test career.

Sri Lanka started the day by wrapping up the final two Bangladesh wickets for 27 runs. Then, openers Nissanka and Lahiru Udara got them off to a solid start, adding 88 for the first wicket to provide Sri Lanka their first 50-plus opening stand in 20 innings. After Taijul Islam broke the stand by trapping Udara leg before wicket for 40, it was all about Nissanka and Chandimal.

While Nissanka continued in his rich vein of form and notched up his second hundred of the series and the fourth of his career, Chandimal played the perfect foil at the other end. He survived a couple of close lbw reviews but once he got through that initial period, the runs started to flow as he went on to notch his 34th Test fifty – 93 off 153 balls (10 fours, 1 six).

At the other end, Nissanka continued from where he left off in the first Test at Galle to play a complete clinical innings. Starting off with a back foot cover drive off the first ball, he reached his century also in similar fashion. His chanceless innings of 146* has come off 238 balls and he has spent nearly six hours in the middle playing some delightful drives and pulls that have brought him 18 fours so far.

Bangladesh had very little joy losing a review and Chandimal successfully reviewing a lbw decision. Nahid Rana bowled with a lot of pace, and even tried the short ball ploy with Ebadot Hossain, but it didn’t work. Taijul toiled away from one end and looked like the only one who could pick up a wicket. But even he, along with his spin partners Mehidy Hasan and Nayeem Hasan, was forced to bowl a negative line but nothing worked until Chandimal decided to throw it away, gifting the tired bowlers with a wicket from nowhere.

Soon afterwards, the players came off for bad light and Chandimal was left to rue the brain fade he went through. Sri Lanka would look to consolidate from this position they are in, especially with the second new ball due in two overs.

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