Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test Day 4: Sri Lanka snowball 139-run lead

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had a roller-coaster of a time, on Day Four of the second Test at the P Sara Oval Stadium, Colombo. Sri Lanka put up 268 for 8 at the end of day’s play, taking a lead of 139 runs. The proceedings started with Upul Tharanga’s wicket but Sri Lanka recovered soon, not stuttering further in the session and rather putting up a partnership that added in excess of 50 runs. The second session belonged to the visitors. They picked up 5 wickets to gain control over the game, while Sri Lanka did a good job to keep on batting till the stumps with 2 wickets in hand. Though Bangladesh started off well, they took only 1 wicket in the morning session. The bowlers produced chances but they were put down, giving Sri Lanka some respite. However, the hosts made full use of luck, as a steady partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis kept them on course. The teams went for lunch with Sri Lanka taking the lead of 8 runs, with Karunaratne set at 67 with Mendis at 36. However, Bangladesh came back strong in the following session. Sri Lanka kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. The middle order departed without any significant contribution, as players such as Dinesh Chandimal and Asela Gunaratne got out for single-digit scores. Karunaratne stood at the crease like a rock and played a contrasting knock, scoring a timely century. He was not supported well from the other end. Sri Lanka, at tea, posted 199 for 6 on the board losing five of their batsmen in the session, increasing the lead by 62 runs only. In the last session, Sri Lanka lost two more wickets as set Karunaratne departed for 126 followed by skipper Rangana Herath (9). It was not until Suranga Lakmal came out to bat that Sri Lanka started scoring runs at a brisk rate. Lakmal hit a couple of delightful boundaries and Dilruwan Perera, who had scored only 12 runs from the first hundred deliveries he had faced, took the cue from Lakmal and joined him with a couple of risky boundaries. Bangladesh, from a comfortable position, gave away too many runs and let the hosts bat throughout the day which could have been prevented had they made the chances count. The ball will be in Sri Lanka’s court and a lead of more than 150 runs will be nothing short of a tough target for Bangladesh.