Pathum Nissanka delivered a stunning performance, scoring a career-best 187 to spearhead Sri Lanka鈥檚 charge after the hosts bowled Bangladesh out for 495 runs in the first innings of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium in Galle on Thursday.听
The hosts closed the third day at 368-4, having cut the first innings deficit to 127 runs while maintaining a higher run rate of 3.95 in comparison to Bangladesh's 3.22.听
Kamindu Mendis was unbeaten on 37 while captain Dhananjay De Silva was batting on 17.听
The visitors鈥� bowler had to toil hard as Hasan Mahmud, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, and part-timer Mominul Haque managed one wicket each.听
Sri Lanka have already hit 42 fours and two sixes, compared to Bangladesh鈥檚 44 fours and the same number of sixes. 听
The last pair of Bangladesh survived only 2.4 overs in the morning after Asitha Fernando scalped his fourth in the innings to dismiss Hasan.听
Sri Lankan openers鈥擭issanka and debutant Lahiru Udana鈥攕howed their intent early with 30 runs in the first five overs.听
Shanto brought Taijul in as early as the seventh over, as the pacers couldn't extract enough from the pitch.听
It was Taijul who got the first breakthrough when Udana dragged one back straight to the bowler after making 29 off 34.听
However, Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal made Bangladesh bowlers sweat in their partnership of 157 runs. The hosts were 100-1 at the lunch break.听
Right-handed Nissanka got to his third hundred off 136 balls before Chandimal reached his fifty off 99.听
Chandimal, though, threw his wicket away when he tried to clip a leg-side delivery off Nayeem and eventually was caught at leg slip for 54.
But Nissanka continued to charge, this time with the help of soon-to-be-retired Angelo Mathews, who came to the crease through a guard of honour given by the Bangladesh team.听
Bangladesh got to see the back of Mathews, probably for the final time in Tests, when he was outside-edged off Mominul鈥檚 ultra-slow delivery.听
He made 39 while adding 89 runs with Nissanka. The 38-year-old walked off to a round of applause around the ground.听
Nissanka, who reached his first 150 in 201 balls, missed out on his first double century when he missed a dipping delivery off Hasan late in the afternoon, soon after Bangladesh had taken the second new ball.听
He hit 23 fours and a six to maintain a strike rate of 73.04.听
But Nissanka was the last batter Bangladesh was able to dismiss on the day, as they had a lot to think about.
听
