Sri Lanka 314 for 4 (Kusal 93, Karunaratne 86, Madushka 57, Hasan 2-64) vs Bangladesh
On a dry surface that showed signs of turn from the get-go, Sri Lanka made use of arguably the best of the batting conditions to prop themselves up to 314 for 4 at the end of the opening day's play of the second Test in Chattogram.
Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva were at the crease at stumps on 34 and 15 respectively, though a bulk of the scoring was accomplished by their top three comprising Nishan Madushka, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis - the latter two falling narrowly short of their respective centuries.
But on a day where the bowlers were forced to toil for large periods, and one where - apart from brief spells with the first and second new balls - the spinners looked most likely to extract something out of the surface, it was debutant seamer Hasan Mahmud that impressed the most, ending the day with figures of 2 for 64. Shakib Al Hasan on his return to the Test side had one as well.
By the end of play Bangladesh were probing for more breakthroughs in an attempt to make inroads into Sri Lanka's lengthy tail, however with the pitch set to deteriorate further, Sri Lanka will be pleased with the position they find themselves in.
That said, had Bangladesh held on to all their chances, this might have been a day the hosts might have even edged.
During the morning session both openers were reprieved with Mahmudul Hasan Joy spilling a straightforward chance at slip off Madushka, and Shakib misjudging a miscued Karunaratne hook at fine leg. In between there was also a missed direct hit opportunity that would have found Karunaratne well short.
In this period it was the seamers that posed the most threat, with Mahmud in particular showing admirable control with the new ball and regularly clocking in the mid-130s. While he would have to wait until Sri Lanka were 210 runs in the black for his first Test scalp, he would have had one much earlier had Mahmudul held on.
But once the ball got older and the potency of the seamers reduced, batting became easier - though the sometimes uneven bounce in the surface meant the Lankan batters were forced to wait for the bad balls to put away. A wicketless morning session, with scoring at a comfortable three an over, highlighted the favourable batting conditions.
And while conditions would get better for the spinners in particular as the day wore on, much of Bangladesh's early success was down to batter errors.
The first was a run out, where Karunaratne seemed to call his partner through for a second before turning him back; the throw from the deep was a good one and Madushka was found well short. The second was courtesy a loose drive, which saw the former skipper drag on to his stumps and give Mahmud his maiden Test wicket.
Despite these breakthroughs, Bangladesh were rarely allowed to build a head of steam with a string of successive partnerships forming the backbone of Sri Lanka's batting effort. An opening stand of 96 was followed by stands of 114 and 53.
It was only in the final session that the ball began to show natural variance for the spinners.
After Mathews had pushed forward and edged an arm ball from Mehidy Hasan Miraz that evaded both keeper and slip, Kusal would not have such fortune. Pressing forward to one that gripped and bounced from Shakib, Kusal found himself surprised as it caught a high edge and flew low to Mehidy's right at slip, who made no mistake with two hands.
There were several more deliveries surrounding that period which caused uncertainty in the minds of the batters, beating both edges of the bat. But it was the new ball that brought the final breakthrough of day, as Hasan got one to rise sharply and take Mathews' edge.
But much like they had done throughout the day, the Lankan batters showed patience in negotiating any variance and punished the bad balls. With the nature of the surface proving volatile even this early in the game, they will be aware that one more large partnership might be all it takes to take a commanding grip of this game.
