De Silva, Kamindu lead Sri Lanka fightback against Bangladesh after early collapse
Kamindu struck three classy boundaries off Khaled Ahmed, the pick of the bowlers, early in the second session to get going. Both Kamindu and de Silva both notched up their fifties at strike-rates close to 100.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis scripted a remarkable fightback after an early collapse to propel Sri Lanka to 217-5 at tea on day one of the first match of the two-Test series in Sylhet on Friday.
Bangladesh fast bowlers were all over Sri Lanka in the morning session after captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and decided to field first. It was the first time since 2015 that Bangladesh asked the opponent to bat first in a home Test.
The host fast bowlers breathed fire in the first one and a half hour, reducing Sri Lanka to 57-5. But Kamindu and de Silva counterattacked to put the pressure back on Bangladesh.
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Kamindu struck three classy boundaries off Khaled Ahmed, the pick of the bowlers, early in the second session to get going. Both Kamindu and de Silva both notched up their fifties at strike-rates close to 100.
The pacers went for runs in the second session and although the spinners - Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam - stemmed the run flow, Sri Lanka went at 4.6 runs an over in the second session.
They have added 160* for the sixth wicket and are looking to post a decent total.
Earlier, it was the local lad Khaled Ahmed who drew first blood as he got rid of Nishan Madushka (two) in his first over. He went full and a bit wide, enticing the drive from Madushka. The ball was shaping away from the right-hander, took the edge and flew to Mehidy Hasan Miraz at third slip.
Kusal Mendis (16) and Dimuth Karunaratne added 37 for the second wicket before the former's indecision led to his downfall. Khaled hit the pitch hard with a short delivery which was quite wide and Mendis wasn't sure whether to leave it or have a go and in the process glided the ball straight to Zakir Hasan at gully.
Karunaratne (17) departed in the same over as a gem of a delivery tailing in from Khaled saw him cleaned up.
Sri Lanka soon found themselves at 47-4 when Shanto threw the ball directly at the stumps Angelo Mathews (five) was short of his crease while trying to seal a single.
Shoriful Islam joined the party in the 17th over as Dinesh Chandimal (nine) glanced the ball straight to leg slip. Miraz stood there for exactly that shot and the ball shaped back in, prompting the shot from the Lankan veteran.
