Bangladesh continued their dominance over Sri Lanka on the second day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday, posting a formidable 484 for nine at stumps — despite a late fightback by the hosts and a rain-affected session.
Resuming on a strong overnight score of 292 for three, the visitors capitalized on the flat, batting-friendly surface. Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto extended their record-breaking fourth-wicket stand, adding 264 runs before Shanto fell for a well-crafted 148, mistiming a drive after striking 15 boundaries and a six in a composed knock.
Mushfiqur anchored the innings with a marathon 163, lasting nearly nine hours and facing 350 deliveries — a patient and gritty effort that blunted the Sri Lankan attack.
Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das kept the momentum going with a quickfire 90 off 123 balls, attacking the spinners and punishing errant fielding. He survived a dropped catch at 14 and a close run-out call before gloving a reverse sweep to Kusal Mendis off debutant Tharindu Ratnayake.
Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Salahuddin praised the top-order’s discipline and application.
“It was a very good effort by the batsmen,” Salahuddin said. “Mushfiqur showed great character. He hadn’t scored big in a while, but we always believed a knock like this was coming. Now that we’ve put nearly 500 on the board, I hope our bowlers can bowl to attacking fields and put Sri Lanka under pressure.”
Sri Lanka’s Milan Rathnayake, who claimed two wickets, acknowledged the challenges posed by the unresponsive pitch.
“It was one of the flattest wickets we’ve seen in Galle,” he admitted. “But we came back well after tea to grab five wickets. The key was staying calm when they were scoring freely.”
Only 61 overs were bowled on day two as light drizzle interrupted play after lunch. A persistent shower forced an early tea, and bad light brought a premature end to the day’s action.
Play will begin 15 minutes early on Thursday to make up for lost time, with Bangladesh aiming to cross the 500-run mark and put Sri Lanka under immediate pressure with the ball.
