Sri Lanka batters kept Bangladesh bowlers at bay as they took firm control of the second Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Sunday.
None of the Sri Lanka batters posted a ton, but they widely entertained the crowd with their skillful stroke play.
The visitors resumed the day with a score of 314/4, with Dinesh Chandimal (34) and skipper Dhananjaya De Silva (15) unbeaten on the crease.
With their effortless play on a surface that offered uneven bounce, both batters raced to an 86-run partnership before Chandimal (59) was removed by Shakib Al Hasan.
In the rest of the innings, Sri Lanka stitched up short yet effective partnerships, which helped Sri Lanka topple the 500-run mark.
After impressing in the first Test with knocks of 102 & 164, Kamindu Mendis rode high on confidence, stayed unbeaten at 92* and powered Sri Lanka to 531. Their collective effort with the bat saw the post the highest total in a Test innings without a single century.
Bangladesh began their innings decently after spending almost two days on the field. The openers began their innings on a solid note. The visitors’ pacers couldn’t find the same movement that the host pacers enjoyed on Day 1.
In the final moments of the first session, Lahiru Kumara breached Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s (21) defence as he failed to read the line of the ball.
Bangladesh ended Day 2 with a score of 55/1, still trailing by 476 runs.
After failing to live up to expectations with the bat in the first Test, the hosts will look to show their quality on Day 3 as they attempt to get close to 531.
Brief Score: Sri Lanka 531 (Kushal Mendis 93, Kamindu Mendis 92*; Shakib Al Hasan 3-110) vs Bangladesh 55/1 (Zakir Hasan 28*; Lahiru Kumara 1-4).
