Bangladesh started their second innings of the ongoing Sylhet Test against Sri Lanka with an improbable target of 511 runs at the stroke of the last hour on day three. In the 13 overs Sri Lanka managed to get in during that last hour, the familiar face of Bangladesh's batters folding without almost any resistance in challenging situations was on display again, as no less than five batsmen managed to lose their wickets for the addition of some 47 runs.
As the days progressed in this match, Bangladesh’s situation only got worse. Now, with two more days to go, Bangladesh can only take the field to embrace a defeat, and probably a big defeat - they will start day 4 needing 464 to win, or to bat out two full days for a draw, with just five wickets in hand.
While Bangladesh’s story in this Test only fits the tragic story of clueless batting and average bowling, Sri Lanka’s is the story of batting prominence by their captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kamindu Mendis; both hit a century in each innings of this match—only the third instance of such fate in the history of Test cricket spanning a century and almost a half.
In the first session, only when Bangladesh seemed to be in a dominant position in this match, Sri Lanka lost five wickets. Their dramatic collapse was indicated to a low first innings total. But Dhananjaya and Kamindu put up a big partnership, scoring a hundred each.
The pair continued their impressive partnership, scoring centuries in the second innings after Bangladesh posted a total of 188 runs in the first-innings, and they became the only third pair in Test history to achieve this feat in the same match. Dhananjaya's 108 and Kamindu's 164 propelled Sri Lanka to a formidable total of 418, giving them a massive lead of 510 runs.
Bangladesh's second innings started disastrously, losing five wickets for just 47 runs. Vishwa Fernando was the chief destroyer, claiming three wickets— Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain, and Litton Das— all fell for ducks.
Mahmudul was trapped early by a ball that pitched on leg and hit him on the pads. Shahadat edged a back-of-a-length delivery after being troubled by similar balls earlier. Litton's dismissal was the most concerning, as he charged down the track and top-edged a wild slog on the first ball he faced.
These dismissals highlighted the pressure Bangladesh were under and put them in a more precarious position, which will surely haunt them for a long.