Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal registered a quick fifty in the first session of the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday at Kandy. 

Tamim completed his fifty off 53 balls with 10 fours. He scored most of the runs with his trademark flick to the midwicket area. It was Tamim’s 29th fifty in Tests. 

Riding on his fifty, Bangladesh posted 106 for one in 27 overs at the lunch of day one. Before the lunch break called, Tamim was batting at 65 while Najmul Hossain Shnato was unbeaten for 37. 

Earlier, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque won the toss and opted to bat first. 

Tamim and Saif Hassan started the innings for the Tigers. Tamim smashed two fours off the first over of the match bowled by Suranga Lakmal, but off the last ball of the next over, Saif Hassan fell prey to Vishwa Fernando for a duck. 

Saif had hit a hundred in the first round of the National League and a fifty in the second round before the league was halted due to the Covid-19 surge in recent time in Bangladesh. But he failed to carry on the form to international cricket. 

Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Top five memorable performances in Test Cricket

This series is a part of the World Test Championship. Bangladesh played five matches of this event but failed to win any of them while Sri Lanka played 10 matches and won one of them with losing six and drawing three. 

Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Recap of the Key Test Records

Bangladesh played a total of 12 matches in Sri Lanka and won one of them in 2017 which was Bangladesh’s last overseas Test win to the date.