Watch cricket video highlights between Bangladesh vs Sri Lanak fourth day of 1st test, played at Sylhet.
Mominul Haque made 87 deliveries without giving up while resisting for 148 deliveries. He had important alliances with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shoriful Islam. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka’s pacers managed to get the final five wickets in the fourth innings and concluded the task in the middle of the second session of the fourth day. Kasun Rajitha achieved his second career five-wicket haul, finishing with statistics of 5 for 56.
In the third over of the day, Rajitha got rid of Taijul Islam leg before wicket with a jagged ball back at the batsman. Later in the morning session, she also got Mehidy out driving to end the most significant partnership of the innings. Not long after noon, he finished his five-for with a double-strike. After defying Sri Lanka for forty-one deliveries, Shoriful Islam gave Rajitha an easy caught-and-bowled opportunity when he tried to drive her on the rise. The following ball, Rajitha hit Khaled Ahmed with a stunning fourth-stump length delivery, but Ahmed nicked behind.
On day four, Lahiru Kumara was the only other bowler to score when he had No. 11 in the innings. With the game over and Sri Lanka up 328 runs to the good, Nahid Rana caught off the shoulder of the bat to seal the deal—their second-largest margin of victory by runs. The quicks claimed all 20 wickets in opposition, a feat not accomplished by a Sri Lankan attack since the mid-1980s. This demonstrated not just the characteristics of the Sylhet surface but also the ability and fervor of Sri Lanka’s seamen.
Despite starting the day badly—47 for 5—Bangladesh will be disappointed that they were unable to put more effort into forcing Sri Lanka to work harder, especially as rain was predicted for the late afternoon. After being bowled out for 188 in the first innings, they were all out for 182. In the second dig, they failed to last 50 overs, as nobody else scored above 35 or batted for more than 50 balls save for Mominul.
Still, Mominul did a fantastic job on his own. He navigated the bouncer barrages that Sri Lanka’s seamers threw at him with grace and fluidity throughout the day, driving between the covers and through point with particular precision. With 59 of his 87 runs coming from the off side, the late cut was also a successful stroke. When he toe-edged a ball on his approach to the keeper on 64, he should have been out, but Sri Lanka decided not to review. He was also refusing singles for a large portion of the day in order to avoid exposing tailenders too soon in the over, but this was by no means a consistent strategy. Mominul never seemed uncomfortable for an extended length of time; some of his stroke-play was exquisite.
Bangladesh’s next-best batter was Mehidy. Shortly after arriving at the crease, he had survived a significant leg-before-bow appeal and review against Rajitha, but he quickly started to appear more stable. He struck many boundaries by searching for driveable balls more and more. But when he was caught at the second slide off the outside edge, this would also prove to be his undoing.
Similar to their previous tour of Bangladesh, when Rajitha and Asitha Fernando (who is sidelined for this tour) excelled, Sri Lanka’s Test seamers have once again established themselves, taking all 20 wickets in the game.
