Twin centurions Dhananjaya, Kamindu maul Bangladesh

 Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva put on another mammoth partnership of 173 for the seventh wicket

Vishwa Fernando struck thrice late in the day to have Bangladesh in trouble

• Sri Lanka in box seat with Bangladesh at 47 for 5 in 511 run-chase

Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis repeated their batting exploits of the first innings scoring a century apiece to bat Bangladesh out of the first cricket Test at Sylhet on Sunday.

By stumps on the third day Bangladesh chasing a mammoth 511-run target were reeling at 47-5, to trail by 464 runs with two days of the Test still remaining.

The three Lankan quicks Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara spearheaded by left-armer Vishwa Fernando rounded off an excellent day for their team by taking a wicket each to push the hosts on the back foot, a position they have been in right throughout the Test, apart from the morning session of the first day when they had Sri Lanka on 92-5.

Fernando, the most successful bowler in the first innings with four wickets was exceptional once again picking up three wickets for 13 runs off seven overs. 

Bangladesh who were kept on the field virtually throughout the day succumbed to the enormous pressure brought on them first by the Lankan batters and then by their bowlers.

Bangladesh ran out of ideas as De Silva and Mendis stitched together yet another massive partnership that was worth 173 to follow their 202 in the first. They became only the third pair in Test history to put up two 150plus stands in the same Test, after England’s Eddie Paynter and Paul Gibbs against South Africa in 1938 and Australia’s David Warner and Joe Burns against New Zealand in 2015.

A feature of their batting was that both of them converted their knocks into centuries once again, just like they had done in the first innings to rescue Sri Lanka from 126-6 to 418 all out. The lead soared even after the dismissal of De Silva for an accomplished knock of 108 off 179 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes).  The captain rose to the occasion once again and punched the air in delight as he soaked in all the applause from his teammates after reaching his second century of the match.

Mendis took the cue from his captain and went on to make an elegant 164 off 237 balls inclusive of 16 fours and six sixes so that Bangladesh were eventually left with a colossal target to chase in the fourth innings. For Mendis, playing in only his second Test it was a tremendous innings played under pressure and augmented his ability to revel on the big stage.

It couldn’t have got much worse for Bangladesh as they came to bat a second time losing half the side in the 13 overs they needed to survive for the day. 

They return on the fourth day with a humiliating defeat staring at them on their home soil.