Sri Lanka under pressure as Bangladesh pacers breathe fire
Bangladesh skipper 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.
Bangladesh fast bowlers were all over Sri Lanka in the morning session of the first day of the first Test in Sylhet as they sent back the tourists' top five in no time. At lunch, Sri Lanka were 92-5.
Bangladesh skipper 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 justified their captain's decision by putting Sri Lanka in all sorts of trouble.
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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.
From 57-5, captain Dhananjaya de Silva (25*) and Kamindu Mendis (11*) are trying to rescue the team.
