Kusal Mendis helps Sri Lanka take command on Day 1
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last played a Test in 2014, a series in which Kumar Sangakkara went on to muster his highest Test score of 319. The two sides, till then, were used to one-sided battles, with the southpaw scoring tons of runs and Muttiah Muralitharan having accounted for as many as 89 wickets. Even the collective effort of the entire Bangladesh side often fell short against the individual brilliance of the two legendary players.
Both the players have retired now, and in the last three years if there has been any drastic shift in international cricket, it has been the rise of Bangladesh and the fall of Sri Lanka. While the former are trying to find a consistent groove amidst simultaneous showcases of brilliance and brain fades, the latter are attempting to put a fight with whatever little they have.
Irrespective of how many legendary cricketers Sri Lanka have gone on to produce in the last 20 years, the legacy of Arjuna Ranatunga is unlikely to ever be surpassed or forgotten. Even as they have come down the ladders of dominance in the last few years, they continue to show spunk and a stomach for fight that brought them to prominence in the mid 1990s. They did that against Australia - at home last August and Down Under last month.
Tuesday (March 7) was no different. There wasn`t much for the sparse crowd in attendance at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. The wicket was slow, and barring some early movement for the pacers, it was a wicket where neither the batsmen nor the bowlers could`ve hoped to be rewarded without being patient.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. Bangladesh came in with three changes, with Sabbir Rahman having to make way to fit in Liton Das, Mustafizur Rahman returning from injury and Subashis Roy finding favour ahead of Islam Rabbi. Sri Lanka too had Upal Tharanga returning to open the innings for the side in company of Dimuth Karunaratne.
Tharanga`s return didn`t last long with Roy uprooting his stumps with a delivery that jagged in after pitching. He nearly had another wicket when Kusal Mendis edged a delivery to the wicketkeeper, but he happened to overstep on the delivery stride. Mendis went on to take advantage of the opportunity, and ensured he didn`t offer them another chance through the entire day`s play. He added 45 runs for the second wicket, before Karunaratne inside-edged Mehedi Hasan`s delivery back on to the stumps five minutes before Lunch.
In the second session, there was a contrasting display of batting on showcase. While on one hand, Mendis was providing a master class in batting on a slow track, on the other, his senior partner Dinesh Chandimal drew into a shell. As a result, while Mendis went on to put away the bad deliveries and keep the scoreboard moving without having to take a risk, Chandimal went chasing a wide delivery and got an edge to the slip fielder after battling for a 52-ball 5.
At 92 for 3, that was the last time Bangladesh held an advantageous position during the day`s play. From thereon, Asela Gunaratne, the 31-year old right-hander who has come on to become the most dependable batsmen for the side this year combined with Mendis to put on a 196-run stand for the fourth wicket. There was little wrong with the way Bangladesh bowled. While there were the occasional loose deliveries, they largely stuck to a tight line. However, with the partnership growing in strength, the bowlers wore out and eventually strayed in their line more often than they would`ve liked. Gunaratne and Mendis ensured that every offering coming their way was accepted with glee.
In the process of their partnership, Gunaratne put on 85 and Mendis notched up yet another 150. The former fell half an hour before Stumps on a day when play was extended by 30 minutes. While looking to pull Taskin Ahmed, he ended up inside edging the ball on to his stumps.
In the last 30 minutes, with a jaded bowling attack coming at him, Mendis unleashed his array of strokes. To make matters worse for Bangladesh, even edges kept running away for boundary, helping the hosts accelerate swiftly. Having put on 61 runs in the first session and 95 in the second, they amassed 166 in the final session. Along with Niroshan Dickwella, Mendis remained unbeaten at Stumps on the opening day. 166 runs for him. 321/4 for Sri Lanka.
There was not much in the pitch for batsmen. There wasn`t much wrong that Bangladesh bowlers did. It was merely a showcase of disciplined batting.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 321/4 (Kusal Mendis 166*, Asela Gunaratne 85; Taskin Ahmed 1-48) vs Bangladesh.
Source: Cricbuzz
