Despite early struggles, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis rescued Sri Lanka’s innings, helping them reach a total of 280 on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh.
Facing a challenging situation at 57-5, de Silva and Mendis formed a crucial partnership of 202 runs for the sixth wicket, steering Sri Lanka back on track after Bangladesh’s pacers had made early breakthroughs.
Bangladesh’s pacers, Khaled Ahmed and Nahid Rana, impressed by taking three wickets each. Opting to bowl first on a green pitch, they troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen.
After lunch, de Silva and Mendis took charge, guiding Sri Lanka to a respectable score. Mendis achieved his maiden Test century off 126 balls but fell soon after, caught by Liton Das off Rana.
Following Mendis’s dismissal, de Silva, the skipper, also departed after a fine innings featuring 12 fours and a six.
Khaled Ahmed troubled Sri Lanka’s top order, dismissing opener Nishan Madushka and later removing Dimuth Karunaratne.
Bangladesh’s Najmul ran out Angelo Mathews with a direct hit, adding to Sri Lanka’s woes.
Shoriful Islam joined the wicket-taking spree, dismissing Dinesh Chandimal.
Despite the fightback, Sri Lanka lost all their wickets for 280 runs.
The second and final Test of the series is scheduled to be played in Chittagong starting from March 30th.