Liton, Mushfiq centuries in massive stand

Mushfiq Rahim and Liton Das hit unbeaten centuries to help Bangladesh recover from a top-order collapse on the first day of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur in Dhaka on Monday (May 23).

Liton remained unbeaten on 127 (201) with Mushfiq 100 (218) as Bangladesh reached 248-5 after 76 overs. It was consecutive century for Mushfiqur. Earlier, he hit a ton in the first Test of the series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram.

The pair added 227 in their unbroken stand after Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando shared five wickets between them to reduce Bangladesh to 24-5 in a chaotic first hour of play.

The hosts made a nightmare start to the game as Rajitha bowled opener Mahmudul Hasan for a duck with the second ball of the morning.

Fellow opener Tamim Iqbal, who scored a century in the drawn first Test in Chattogram, also fell for a duck as he sent a leading edge off Fernando in the next over to be caught brilliantly by Jayawickrama at backward point.

Skipper Mominul Haque tried to settle the nerves with two fours, including one off the first ball he faced, but soon edged Fernando to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella when on nine.

Rajitha then found a big gap between the bat and pad of Najmul Hossain, sending his middle-stump cart-wheeling with an inswinger as the left-hander was dismissed for eight.

Rajitha delivered a body blow next ball to trap Shakib Al Hasan leg-before for a first-ball duck, leaving the Bangladesh batting line-up in tatters at 24-5.

Liton and Mushfiq hit 10 boundaries each so far to lead Bangladesh’s recovery.

Sri Lanka had rewarded Rajitha with a place in the eleven after he impressed in Chittagong by taking 4-60 playing the match as a concussion substitute for Vishwa Fernando.

He was one of their two changes, with Jayawickrama replacing Lasith Embuldeniya.

Bangladesh made two changes from the first Test as Mosaddek Hossain and Ebadot Hossain replaced the injured Nayeem Hasan and Shoriful Islam.