SL vs BAN | 2nd Test, Day 2: Sri Lanka steady after quick fall of wickets in Pallekele

Sri Lanka ended the second day’s play at 469/6 against Bangladesh on Friday in Pallekele. The home side began the day’s proceedings at 291/1 with Lahiru Thirimane and Oshada Fernando out there in the middle. 

While Thirimane struck 140 before getting out to Taskin Ahmed, Fernando notched up 81. Captain Karunaratne had also scored a century before getting out on Day 1. 

The hosts then lost some wickets in quick succession and Sri Lanka were reduced to 382/6 from 313/2 before Niroshan Dickwella and Ramesh Mendis joined hands and steadied the ship for the side once again to put an unbeaten 87 before the end of the day’s play. 

Dickwella was at 64* and Mendis at 22* when the stumps were called after bad lights stopped the play. 

Bangladesh pacer Taskin picked up three wickets while Mehidy Hasan, Shoriful Ismal and Taijul Islam scalped a wicket apiece. 

Oshada who missed out on a hundred during the course expressed his disappointment. 

"I'm very disappointed about not getting to a hundred. I was out for 90-odd in the West Indies as well, and when you're a batsman, you feel you need to get those runs. It doesn't matter where I get to bat - No. 3 or 4, or wherever, what you have to do is score runs as a batsman,'' Fernando told reporters after the day's play.

Talking about Bangladesh bowlers, Fernando admitted that the visitors did bowl well in the morning session and resisted the batsmen to score runs quickly. 

"They bowled well in the morning, so we weren't able to score quickly then," he said. "They bowled line and length very well. There was a bit of cloud cover, they probably had some help from the surface as well,” he added. 

The first match of the two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh ended in a draw.