SL vs BAN: Pathum Nissanka's 187 puts Sri Lanka in strong reply against Bangladesh
A career-best 187 by the stylish Pathum Nissanka led Sri Lanka to 368-4 in its first innings on the third day of the opening Test against Bangladesh on Thursday. That left the home team 127 runs adrift of Bangladesh, which had piled up a total of 495 all out.On a featherbed surface, Nissanka produced an innings of sublime timing and poise, the sort that makes connoisseurs purr and opponents wince. Nissanka, whose two previous Test hundreds had come overseas, finally notched his maiden century on home soil.advertisementSL vs BAN , 1st Test Day 3: Highlights
A double hundred looked not just probable, but inevitable. Alas, as it so often does in cricket, the second new ball brought about his downfall. A touch too eager to assert, Nissanka offered a drive too early, left a gap between bat and pad, and was clean bowled by Hasan Mahmud.'I was disappointed with the way I got out,' Nissanka said. "I knew I had to see off the new ball. I thought the shot was on, but it was a good piece of bowling as well."We have been conscious about the run rate. We knew we were not scoring too quickly in the last cycle of the World Test Championship. That is one of the things we wanted to address. I hope we have done that sufficiently in this Test match and we look to keep doing that moving forward.'advertisementDebutant Lahiru Udara, also looking assured during a brisk 29 off 34 balls, peppered the boundary with six well-timed fours before offering a return catch to Taijul Islam off a leading edge.Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a 157-run stand for the second wicket with Nissanka, his 54 oozing class until a faint tickle down the leg side off Nayeem Hasan ended his stay.The 38-year-old Angelo Mathews, in his final Test appearance, appeared in decent touch during a fluent 39 before falling to Mominul Haque, the part-time spinner luring an edge to wicketkeeper Litton Das.'It was an honour to bat with Angelo,' Nissanka said. 'He is an amazing guy. He has done a lot for the game and has helped me out too.'Captain Dhananjaya de Silva (17 not out) and the versatile Kamindu Mendis (37 not out) then took Sri Lanka to the close of play with an unbroken 37-run partnership. With more batting depth to come and time on its side – should the weather hold – Sri Lanka will fancy its chances of claiming a first-innings lead.Earlier, Sri Lanka wrapped up the Bangladesh innings inside 15 minutes. Asitha Fernando took 4-86 while Milan Rathnayake and Tharindu Rathnayake picked up three wickets apiece.advertisementBangladesh fast-bowling coach Shaun Tait said: "Sri Lanka are a team that was competing for the WTC final six months ago. I think they batted really well. The pace bowlers missed a trick with the new ball. It would have been nice if they had taken a couple of wickets with the new ball.'I think we would have taken our score at the start of the game. We got a good score. We can't ask much more than that from Bangladesh.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
WI vs AUS 1st Test: Marnus Labuschagne dropped, Steve Smith out with injury
Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for the opening Test against the West Indies in Barbados, starting on 25 June, while Steve Smith has been ruled out with a finger injury sustained during the World Test Championship Final at Lord's. In a significant shake-up to the batting line-up, Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis have been drafted in to replace the underperforming Labuschagne and the injured who opened the batting in the recent World Test Championship final, managed scores of 17 and 22 in a losing cause against South Africa. His prolonged dip in form-averaging just 16.25 in four Tests this year—has led to his omission from the side."Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects," Selection chair George Bailey said in a statement. "We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively." Smith, meanwhile, suffered a dislocated finger while fielding at Lord's. Although the former captain has travelled with the squad to the Caribbean, he has been advised to wear a splint for up to eight weeks and will be reassessed ahead of the second Test in needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that," Bailey said. "We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers."Konstas impressed on debut against India in the Boxing Day Test last year and is expected to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. Inglis, who scored a debut century in Sri Lanka earlier this year, is likely to slot into the middle order in Smith's absence. However, Cricket Australia has said the final batting order will be confirmed closer to the first Test in Barbados will be followed by matches in Grenada and Jamaica, with Australia aiming to bounce back strongly after their WTC Final Watch
India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
IND vs ENG, 1st Test Leeds Weather forecast: Will rain play spoilsport in series opener?
The first Test begins on Friday (June 20) in Leeds, where Shubman Gill will lead a new-look Indian side against Ben Stokes' dynamic England - two teams aiming to script a fresh chapter in the new ICC World Test Championship Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having stepped away from the longest format, the baton has passed to 25-year-old Gill, whose leadership will be tested in the most unforgiving of conditions. England, meanwhile, are in the thick of their bold 'Bazball' experiment under Brendon McCullum, and their fearless brand of Test cricket promises to make this series a vs IND, 1st Test: Preview The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy - a fitting tribute to two of the game's all-time greats - will be up for grabs, as will early momentum in the World Test Championship standings. But before a ball is bowled, there's one factor that could dictate the tone of the opener: the English WEATHER FORECASTIn a welcome break from typical British weather, BBC Weather has predicted a bright and sunny Friday in Leeds, with temperatures climbing to a sweltering 30C - near-unheard of for this part of Yorkshire in June. The chance of rain is a mere 4%, with light winds and moderate cloud cover (around 45%), offering conditions more reminiscent of Ahmedabad than dry and hot conditions are likely to favour batting early on, and given the scorching forecast, Shubman Gill might not shy away from opting to bat first - even if history at Headingley suggests otherwise. Traditionally, captains have preferred to bowl first at this venue to exploit early movement, but clear skies may tempt a shift in Day 1 offers a window of uninterrupted play, Day 2 could throw a spanner in the works. The forecast points to overcast skies and a significant chance of thundery showers on Saturday, a development that could dramatically alter conditions and playing styles. Seamers are expected to come into the game in a big way, and both sides will be keen to exploit any moisture on offer. Leeds weather forecast for Day 1 Such conditions could breathe new life into England's pace quartet and also suit India's swing operators like Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar. If Day 1 is all about runs, Day 2 could well belong to the bowlers. The rest of the Test is forecast to remain unsettled, with intermittent rain and cloud cover expected through Sunday and possibly into Monday. While it's unlikely to cause a complete washout on any one day, these interruptions may disrupt rhythm and strategy - making a strong first-day performance even more a series where both teams are searching for stability and ascendancy, maximising the dry spells becomes a tactical necessity. With Headingley known for its tendency to dramatically shift from batting paradise to seamer's haven, adaptability will be the name of the isn't just another Test series - it marks the beginning of life after legends for India, and perhaps the last stretch for some of England's veterans. The symbolic unveiling of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by the legends themselves on Thursday added further gravitas to the the historic rarity of Indian triumphs on English soil - only three series wins in over nine decades - the task at hand is enormous. But the promise of a full day's play to start proceedings offers both sides a fair shot at setting the tone.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Australia drop struggling Labuschagne for first West Indies Test
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Australia on Friday dropped Marnus Labuschagne for the opening match of their three-Test tour of the West Indies after a poor run of form while Steve Smith is out Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come into the starting XI for the opening match in Barbados starting on opened the batting in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa last week but managed scores of only 17 and 22 on a challenging Lord's last hundred for Australia in Test matches was in July 2023, against England at Manchester. Since then, Labuschagne has averaged 24.7 with the bat, in 16 matches."Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team," chair of selectors George Bailey said."He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects.""We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively."Smith injured his finger while fielding in the slips at Lord's. He left the field and did not return, watching South Africa's winning run chase from the pavilion."Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that," Bailey 19-year-old Konstas will earn his third cap for Australia, and his first since made a blistering debut against India in December, blasting 60 from just 65 balls opening the batting and playing a number of audacious scoop shots against Jasprit managed only 53 runs in his next three innings, but the teenager's raw talent has selectors will also make his third appearance in Test cricket, having made 102 on debut against Sri Lanka in said the batting order and final team would be determined closer to the first Test.
