Bangladesh on brink of massive defeat in first Test against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh are on the brink of a massive defeat in the first Test against Sri Lanka after the visiting bowlers ran through their batting order late on day three at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The hosts ended the day at 47-5, still requiring a massive 464 runs. 

Bangladesh batters needed to see off the early threat posed by Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara but just like the first innings, the home side looked almost clueless against the moving ball.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy, into his 12th Test match, registered his sixth duck in the format. Najmul Hossain Shanto (six) threw his wicket away as he played a loose shot away from his body off Rajitha. 

Zakir Hasan (19) tried to take the attack back to the bowlers but Kumara's pace and swing was too good for the southpaw. 

Vishwa got Shahadat Hossain and Litton Das in consecutive deliveries to have Bangladesh five down. Litton played an inexplicable T20-style shot first ball to hit the ball straight up in the air and Mathews did the rest.

Sri Lanka were all-out for 418 in their second innings to set Bangladesh a target of 511. 

Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis  rewrote the record books on day three, becoming only the second set of teammates in this century and the third overall to hit twin hundreds in a Test match. 

De Silva and Kamindu played with a positive frame of mind to notch up some quick runs and took the lead past the 300-run mark before the end of the first session.

De Silva became the first Sri Lanka captain to score twin centuries in a Test while Kamindu (167) became the first batter in Test history to have two hundreds in the same match batting at number seven or lower. 

Earlier, nightwatcher Vishwa Fernando, who was unbeaten overnight, lost his wicket to Khaled Ahmed soon after play started on day three. But since then, it was tough going for the host bowlers with de Silva and Kamindu remaining unharmed throughout the innings.

Sri Lanka captain de Silva, who hit a masterful 102 in the first innings under pressure, became the first Sri Lanka batter in 10 years to hit a century in each innings of a Test. 

Before getting out to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, de Silva scored 108 off 179 with the help of nine fours and two sixes. He added 173 off 273 with Kamindu, becoming only the third pair in Test history to share 150-plus partnerships in both innings of a Test match. 

Kamindu, who reached his fifty just before lunch, notched up his second hundred in just his third Test innings.