SYLHET, Bangladesh (AP) — Kamindu Mendis and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva both hit their second centuries of the match before pacer Vishwa Fernando ripped through Bangladesh’s top order to help Sri Lanka close in on a victory in the series opening test on Sunday.
Kamindu followed a first-innings 102 with his career-best 164 and de Silva, who also scored 102 in the first innings, made 108 as Sri Lanka was dismissed for 418 in its second innings, setting an improbable 511-run victory target for Bangladesh.
The hosts collapsed in reply and were reduced to 47-5 at stumps on Day 3, after Fernando finished with 3-13. Bangladesh is 464 runs short of securing an unlikely victory.
Kamindu and de Silva put on 202 as Sri Lanka recovered from 57-5 to post 280 before being all out in their first innings. Fernando then claimed 4-48 to help the side bundle Bangladesh out for 188.
Fernando struck in the first over of Bangladesh’s second innings when he had opener Mahmudul Hasan leg-before for a duck before captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top-edged a wide delivery off pacer Kasun Rajitah to Dimuth Karunaratne at first slip.
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Zakir Hasan who started with a brace of boundaries, looked positive but he too poked a delivery outside when on 19 and left Bangladesh at 36-3.
The situation was compounded when Fernando struck twice in consecutive deliveries, dismissing Shahadat Hossain and Liton Das for a duck.
Mominul Haque was on 7 with Taijul Islam, who hit the last ball of the day for a boundary, on 6.
Resuming at 119-5, Sri Lanka lost nightwatchman Fernando for 4 in third over of the day but de Silva and Kamindu then kept the home side frustrated throughout the session, keeping the scoreboard going with ease.
After raising his half-century off 82 balls de Silva paced the innings, smashing offspinner Mehidy Hasan for consecutive sixes.
He raised his 12th century off 164 balls with a single off Mehidy but a short time later the bowler, who took 4-74, got the better of de Silva to end his 173-run partnership with Kamindu.
De Silva, who became the sixth Sri Lanka batter to hit centuries in both innings of a test, struck 108 off 179 balls in a stint laced with nine fours and two sixes.
Kamindu reached his second hundred off 171 balls and joined the elite list as the seventh Sri Lanka batsman to reach the double ton list by pushing Najmul Hossain Shanto for a single.
He then took an aggressive approach to move the scoreboard rapidly as Sri Lanka looked went about setting a big target.
He brought up his 150 off 228 balls, smashing Taijul for six over long-on and in doing so, took the team’s lead past 500 but one extravagant shot too many saw him top-edge a Taijul delivery to Mehidy at mid-wicket, which ended Sri Lanka’s innings.
Kamindu’s knock included 16 fours and six sixes from 237 balls.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket