Bangladesh lose Joy after batters power Sri Lanka to massive total

Sri Lanka were clearly the happier side at the end of the second day's play as Lahiru Kumara snared the scalp of Mahmudul Hasan Joy before stumps to leave Bangladesh at 55-1, still trailing by 476, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. 

Sri Lanka new-ball bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando didn't get much swing or seam movement as Bangladesh openers Joy and Zakir Hasan looked in decent touch. But Lahiru Kumara did the damage by cleaning up Joy for 21, much to the disappointment of the Bangladesh camp. 

At stumps on day two, Zakir was unbeaten on 28* with the help of five fours. He was accompanied by nightwatcher Taijul Islam on 0*. 

Six batters notched up half-centuries as Sri Lanka posted a massive total of 531. Kamindu Mendis was left stranded on 92* after his last batting partner Asitha Fernando was run out. They lost their last three wickets for 34 runs and were all-out for 531. Two of those three wickets were run outs.

531 is now the highest Test total without a score of 100 or more. Before Kamindu, Kusal Mendis (93) and Dimuth Karunaratne (86) fell agonisingly short of the three-figure mark. Even skipper Dhananjaya de Silva played positively for his 70 and at one stage was looking good for a bigger score. 

Shakib Al Hasan, returning to the Test fold after a year, was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets. The start was a little difficult for him but the former captain managed to send down 37 overs and came out as the more economical bowler and picked up three wickets in the process. 

Bangladesh's fielding was under the scanner after a host of misses on day one and there was no improvement in catching on day two as well. They dropped as many as six catches and it remains an area they need to work really hard on. 

Earlier, Bangladesh seamers looked to exploit the overhead conditions with a relatively new ball in the second morning but visiting captain de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal passed the first hour quite solidly.

Fast bowlers Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud bowled well, inducing the edge of the batters at least a couple of times but the ball fell in no man's land. 

It was Shakib who finally broke the 86-run stand between de Silva and Chandimal by getting rid of the latter. It was the left-arm spinner's second scalp.

Sri Lanka scored runs fairly freely in the first session and crossed the 400-run mark.

De Silva, who hit six fours and two fours in his positive knock, got out without adding anything to his score at lunch as Khaled Ahmed got his first wicket of the match.

Prabath Jayasuriya, at number eight, was dropped in a bizarre fashion as three fielders - Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shahadat Hossain and Mahmudul Hasan Joy - at slip failed to complete a catch. 

The 65-run stand for the seventh wicket between Kamindu Mendis and Jayasuriya frustrated Bangladesh for an hour and a half and Shakib again broke the partnership to give the home side some respite.