Mushfiqur Rahim’s dismissal in the sixth over after tea hastened Bangldesh’s end in the first innings, as they slumped to 232 all out by the 64th over in Mirpur. Bangladesh, though, will feel hard done by as Mushfiqur should arguably have not been given out lbw. Suranga Lakmal swung the ball appreciably into the batsman, but the two sounds and Mushfiqur’s surprise at seeing the umpire’s raised finger suggested there may have been a small inside edge. His 61 from 122 was the top score in his team’s innings. Sohag Gazi had been aggressive before the break and Mushfiqur’s departure spurred even more belligerence from him, particularly as the spinners sought to bundle up the tail. He advanced twice to wallop offspinner Dilruwan Perera twice over his head, but though he swatted another straight four off Suranga Lakmal early in the next over, he fell attempting to reprise the baseball-hit, having made 42 from 56. The last two pairs did not offer any resistance as Shaminda Eranga had Robiul Islam caught by gully to wrap up the innings, completing a
best-ever innings haul of 4 for 49. If Sri Lanka arrived in Bangladesh having freshly learned a lesson on the perils of negative cricket in Sharjah, their hosts illustrated there is also danger in being too aggressive as well. Bangladesh had lost four wickets by lunch, but though they hurtled on at 4.22 in the
afternoon, they surrendered two more scalps, arguably weakening their position in the match. Mushfiqur Rahim, on 55 from 104 balls, represents Bangladesh’s best hopes of achieving a competitive total from their present, precarious situation at 190 for 6. Shakib Al Hasan had led the rapid 86-run riposte with Mushfiqur in the second session, refusing to temper his advance despite several near misses on his way to 55 from 91 deliveries. His audacity earned momentum initially – Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers had counted patience among their strengths in the recent series in the UAE, but as Shakib
and Mushfiqur began to attack, they appeared slightly rattled. The short ball that brought Sri Lanka success in the first session was instead bludgeoned to the leg side whenever Shakib encountered it, and over-corrections in length were also met with a swift, confident blade. Thrice Shakib’s strokes just evaded the fingertips of fielders, though as much as Shakib was not deterred by this, neither were Sri Lanka encouraged to push for his wicket. They put men back on the square fence and waited for his mistake. It came against Rangana Herath – Sri Lanka’s most expensive bowler so far – when Herath got one to dip on Shakib as he missed a sweep and was consequently caught in front. Eranga’s spell in the afternoon was less controlled than his first, but towards the end of it, he produced a well-directed bouncer that brought his day’s tally to three scalps. The batsman, Nasir Hossain, first shaped to play the ball when Eranga dug it in short, but soon bailed on the stroke, and as he sought to evade it, the ball touched his glove on the way to the keeper. His demise was not necessarily hastened by aggression, but after he fell, Sohag Gazi lived dangerously against the spinners, though he survived until tea with 21 off 29. Earlier, Angelo Mathews’ decision to bowl first with only two frontline seamers in his ranks appeared strange, but within a few overs, it was clear that the surface had excited him. There was moderate movement off the pitch, but its greatest menace was the bounce and carry the quicks gleaned from their effort deliveries. Eranga had had balls moving both ways off the seam, but after his first bouncer leapt up to shoulder-height, he rarely let an over pass without aiming several at the body and the head. Tamim Iqbal was dropped on 6 at short leg in his fourth over, but Eranga drew him into a hook soon after, and the head-high ball flew from Tamim’s top edge to Lakmal at fine leg. The pace on the surface also rewarded stroke-making when the bowlers erred, and opener Shamsur Rahman showcased the aggressive intent that had earned him a Test debut – Bangladesh’s 71st cricketer to play at this level. Nervous slashes past slip and gully were his major contributions in the early overs, but he soon eased into confident cover drives and a rasping pull off Angelo Mathews. The short ball did not do him in, but Eranga’s bouncers may have played a role in drawing the mistake when Shamsur was on 33. Having had the batsman duck or sway early in the over, Eranga pitched one up and got it to move away, taking the outside edge, though it was a wide ball that Shamsur did not need to play at. Marshall Ayub had departed in between, hit on the pads by a Mathews inducker that moved more than any ball had done in the morning and was perhaps going on to clip leg stump. Lakmal returned from the other end after Eranga had bowled seven overs in a stretch, and he soon hurried Mominul Haque into a pull and had him caught at square leg. –ESPNcricinfo
