Cricket Australia on Thursday said its all-formats tour of Sri Lanka is still going ahead despite a heightening of tension due to civil unrest in the south Asian island nation. Australia’s government has advised nationals to reconsider their need to travel to Sri Lanka after unrest followed this week’s resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Also read: Bangladesh’s Five Memorable Test Knocks against Sri Lanka: A look back Australia’s cricketers are due to travel to Sri Lanka in June and July to play three Twenty20 internationals, five one-day games and two test matches. An Australia A tour of Sri Lanka is planned at the same time. A Cricket Australia spokesman said the sporting body, the federal government and Sri Lankan cricket officials were “keeping a close eye” on developments in the country. Cricket Australia said the players and support staff had been briefed and, with three weeks until the squad's departure date, "there are no changes to the schedule.” On Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s president promised to appoint a new prime minister, empower the Parliament and abolish the all-powerful executive presidential system as reforms aimed at stabilizing a country engulfed in a political and ecomonic crisis. Also read: Sri Lanka leader vows to shed powers, appoint prime minister In a televised address, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he condemned attacks on peaceful protesters by mobs who came to support his brother and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned Monday.

In the ongoing Kandy Test against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh have lost 15 wickets so far, and of them, 13 went to the Lankan spinners. The Lankan spinners put Bangladesh on the backfoot. Bangladesh batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto said they should play spin better if they really want to shine in Tests. In both innings of the Kandy Test, Shanto fell prey to the spinners. In the first innings, he was haunted by Ramesh Mendis, and in the second, he got dismissed by Praveen Jayawickrama. “It was tough to play against spin in this sort of tracks,” Shanto said in a virtual press conference after the day’s play. “There was much more spin than usual, but if we want to play Tests, we should play spin better.” Also read: Tigers have mountain to climb to save Kandy Test The first Test of the series ended in a draw when the bowlers got nothing from the wicket. A total of 17 wickets fell in the first game at the same venue. So it was expected that the hosts will provide a better wicket in the second match. “It’s normal that the bowlers will get substantial help from the wicket on the fourth day of a Test match. Most of us have had a good start to their innings but we failed to carry on. Had we lost three wickets, we would have a good chance in this game,” Shanto added. At the end of day four, Bangladesh need to score 260 in 98 overs to win this game or bat the entire day to save it with only five wickets in hand. Shanto believes that if Bangladesh can bat for two sessions without losing a wicket, they have something to get from this Test. Also read: Sri Lanka set 437 for Bangladesh to win in Kandy “We still have two batsmen in the wicket. If we can bat well in the first two sessions, we have something to think about this game,” he further added. In the first innings of the first Test, Shanto hit his maiden ton Test. But in the next two innings, he suffered a duck each before coming up with 26 in the third. His inconsistency cost Bangladesh a lot. “The important thing for me is not to be too happy because of success or not to be too broken because of failure. I have done badly in the last two innings after a good one. I failed to play a longer innings despite having a good start today (Sunday). I am not worried about these things much. I rather am looking forward to doing well when I get the next chance,” Shanto added.

Bangladesh lost five wickets for 177 runs at the end of the fourth day in Kandy Sunday while chasing 437 runs in the second Test against Sri Lanka. Ramesh Mendis and 22-year-old Praveen Jayawickrama, bagged three and two wickets to keep Bangladesh at bay. The Tigers will have to score 260 runs on the fifth day of the match to win the game or bat for the entire day to save it at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. All the Bangladeshi batters, who have already been dismissed, made a good start to their innings but failed to carry on against the quality spin of the hosts. Sri Lanka declared their second innings on 194 for nine securing a lead of 436 runs. Dimuth Karunarate scored 66 for the hosts as Taijul Islam took five wickets for the Tigers. Also read: Sri Lanka set 437 for Bangladesh to win in Kandy Bangladesh needed to make a good start to their second innings. But Tamim Iqbal managed to post 24 runs only. Saif Hassan, who has failed to shine in this series so far, scored 34. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim also made a good start, scoring 26, 32, and 40 each, but none of them could fight back the Lankan spinners. At the end of the day, Bangladesh were batting at 177 for five with Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz unbeaten on 14 and 4. Earlier, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth total of 493 runs for seven in their first innings, riding on Dimuth Karunarate (118), Lahiru Thirimanne (140), and Oshada Fernando (81). Niroshan Dickwella, the wicketkeeper-batsman, remained not-out for 77. Read Also: Sri Lanka stretch lead over 400 as Bangladesh in more trouble Taskin Ahmed was the best bowler for Bangladesh taking four wickets for 127 runs, his best bowling figure in Tests. In reply to Sri Lanka's first innings, Bangladesh were bundled out for only 251 runs despite a 90 from Tamim Iqbal. Most of the batters had a good start but they failed to come up with the big innings. Mominul Haque perished on 49 and Mushfiqur Rahim scored 40, although the onus was on them to propel the Tigers to a safe position in this game. Praveen, who got the chance to play this game due to injuries or off-form other spinners, bagged six wickets conceding 92 runs, the best bowling figure for a Sri Lankan debutant in Tests.

Sri Lanka are leading by 259 runs against Bangladesh with eight wickets in hand at the end of day three of the second Test in Kandy. Bangladesh were bundled out for 251 runs in their first innings, replying to Sri Lanka's first innings total of 493/7 declared. With the lead of 242 runs, Sri Lanka chose to not impose the follow-on. They instead, took the field to bat and at the end of the day's play were 17/2 in seven overs with Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking one wicket each. Also read: Bangladesh staring at defeat as Jayawickrama takes six to trigger Tigers' collapse Earlier, Praveen Jayawickrama bagged six wickets to wrap up Bangladesh for 251 in their first innings. His six wickets for 92 is now the best bowling figures for a debutant Sri Lankan bowler. Bangladesh lost the last six wickets for just 37 runs, with most of the batsmen falling prey to Praveen's left-arm spin. The 22-year-old spinner completed his five-wicket haul scalping the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the 76th over. The right-handed batsman, who had recorded his maiden Test ton in the last series against West Indies at home, tried to clear the ball through the midwicket region but failed to execute it well and the ball hit his pad. Also read: Sri Lankan debutant has Tigers staring down the barrel Earlier, Tamim Iqbal and Saif Hassan made a good start of 98 runs for Bangladesh at the first wicket stand. Tamim was the highest run-getter with 92 while Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim ended up on 49 and 40. Along with Jayawickrama, Suranga Lakmal and Ramesh Mendis also did well, taking two wickets each. Also read: Kandy Test: Bangladesh lose two quick wickets at lunch, Tamim hits 3rd fifty Earlier, Sri Lankan openers – Dimuth Karunarate and Lahiru Thirimanne – hit a century each in the first innings of the match. Oshada Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella also did well with the bat, scoring unbeaten 81 and 77. For Bangladesh, Taskin bagged four wickets for 127 runs, the best bowling figure for the right-arm pacer, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam and Taiju Islam took one wicket each.

Bangladesh tumbled for 251 in their first innings of the second Test, conceding a huge lead after Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 493/7. With the lead of 242 runs, Sri Lanka opted to not impose a follow-on in Kandy. Praveen Jayawickrama bagged six wickets, which is the best bowling record for any Sri Lankan on debut and only the fourth time when a Sri Lankan took a five-for on debut. Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for just 37 runs, with most of the batsmen falling prey to Jayawickrama’s left-arm spin. Also read: Sri Lankan debutant has Tigers staring down the barrel Jayawickrama completed his five-wicket haul scalping the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the 76th over. The right-handed batsman, who had recorded his maiden Test ton in the last series against West Indies at home, tried to clear the ball through the midwicket region but failed to execute it well and the ball hit his pad to prompt the umpire to signal him out. Tamim Iqbal and Saif Hassan made a good start of 98 runs at the first wicket stand. They also had two fifty-plus partnerships at the third and fourth wicket stand. Tamim was the highest run-getter with 92 while Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim ended up on 49 and 40 respectively. Also read: Kandy Test: Bangladesh lose two quick wickets at lunch, Tamim hits 3rd fifty Along with Jayawickrama, Suranga Lakmal and Ramesh Mendis also did well taking two wickets each. Earlier, Sri Lankan openers— Dimuth Karunarate and Lahiru Thirimanne— hit a century each in the first innings of the match after choosing to bat first winning the toss. Oshada Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella also did well with the bat. They scored 81 and 77 not-out respectively. For Bangladesh, Taskin bagged four wickets conceding 127 runs, which is now the best bowling figures for the right-arm pacer while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam and Taiju Islam took one wicket each.

Bangladesh bowlers staged a middle-order collapse for Sri Lanka Friday, yet the unbroken 87-run seventh-wicket stand steadied the hosts before bad weather cut short the second day of the second Test in Pallekele. Niroshan Dickwella and Ramesh Mendis led the recovery for the hosts who finished at 469/6. The Lankans had scored 291/1 on day one. But the visitors posed a strong challenge on day two when the wicket offered more balance between bat and ball. Sri Lanka added 178 to their overnight total and lost five more wickets. At the end of day two, they were batting at 469 for six in 155.5 overs. Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed has bagged three wickets in this game so far. He would have taken more wickets if the fielders were not so sloppy. Najmul Hossain Shanto missed at least two catches off Taskin. In the first session of the day, Bangladesh scalped three wickets and two of them fell prey to Taksin while the other one was hunted by Taijul Islam. After the tea break, Taskin scalped another wicket and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took one. Lahiru Thirimanne, who remained unbeaten for 131 on day one, added only nine more runs before being edged to the wicketkeeper by Taskin. However, Oshada Fernando troubled the Tigers much after Thirimanne's removal. He ended up at 80 as the sixth wicket. The first Test of the two-match series ended in a draw as the wicket was flat and fruitless for the bowlers.

Sri Lankan openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne hit centuries on day one of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kandy on Thursday. Riding on their centuries, Sri Lanka were 291 for one in 90 overs at stumps. Karunaratne was the first and only batsman to get dismissed. For Bangladesh, debutant Shoriful Islam scalped the only wicket. Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam bowled well but without success. Also read: Karunaratne brings up a ton after being dropped by Bangladesh At the end of the day, Thrimanne and Oshada Fernando remained not-out for 131 and 40 respectively. Earlier, Karunaratne was dropped by Najmul Hossain Shanto at slip when he was on batting at 28. At Tea, Sri Lanka were 188 for none in 58 overs with Karunaratne and his opening partner Lahiru Thirimanne batting at 108 and 80 respectively. Also read: Sri Lanka off to cautious start as Bangladesh miss early chances It was the 12th Test hundred for Karunaratne, the highest by any active Sri Lankan player. The wicket looked fairly dead in this Test so far. It was flat and bowlers had nothing to get from the track in the first Test as well. The International Cricket Council has rated the wicket as below average due to its failure to provide a balanced opportunity to the batsmen and bowlers. The ground has been awarded one demerit point as well. Also read: Sri Lanka bat first, Shoriful makes Test debut In the first session of the day, Bangladeshi bowlers were more disciplined, but in the second, they seemed to be a bit random and aimless. The first Test of the series ended in a draw, where Karunaratne had smashed a double-ton. Bangladesh’s Najmul and Mominul Haque had also hit a ton each. Bangladesh made one change in this game including debutant Shorfiul Islam to replace Ebadot Hossain while Sri Lanka made two changes adding Lakshan Sandakan and Chamika Karunaratne to their squad to replace Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka. Chamika Karunaratne made his debut with this game.

The Kandy Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Saturday ended as a high-scoring draw with one and half an hour left to play as rain forced an early close. Tamim Iqbal and captain Mominul Haque remained unbeaten on 74 and 23. Bangladesh were batting at 100 for two in their second innings of the Test in which 1289 runs were scored for 17 wickets. After the tea break of the final day, the Tigers were unable to take the field. The umpires waited for more than an hour to resume the game, but the rain wiped out the final session of the day.  It was the first draw for Bangladesh in the World Test Championship. They have now secured 30 points for their World Test Championship campaign. Also read: Tamim hits fifty as Bangladesh take lead Bangladesh lost Saif Hassan (1) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) at the start of their second innings. But Tamim Iqbal struck his second fifty of the match off 56 balls. He completed his fifty when the team total was 52 and ended the game on 74 off 98 balls with ten fours and three sixes. Sri Lanka declared on 648 for eight at the lunch break of the final day, securing a lead of 107 runs. Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva scored 244 and 166. It was the career-best innings for Karunaratne and second-best for Dhananjaya. Taskin Ahmed was the best bowler for Bangladesh in the high-scoring Test, taking three wickets, while Taijul Islam bagged two wickets. In the first innings of the match, Bangladesh declared on 541 for seven with Najmul (163) and Mominul (127). It was the maiden ton for Najmul in Tests while Mominul scored his first in an away Test. Also read: Bangladesh lose early wickets after Sri Lanka declare on 648 Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das scored a fifty each for the visitors in the first innings. Vishwa Fernando was the most successful bowler for the hosts taking four wickets for 96 runs. Karunarate was awarded the player of the match award for his outstanding 244. After five days of Test, dominated almost entirely by the bat, Mominul applauded the best performers of his team saying: "I think it was a team performance. Everyone contributed, especially Shanto. Also, the bowlers tried hard, especially Taskin, Miraz and Taijul." Sri Lankan captain Karutarate said, "We thought the wicket would have good pace and bounce, but in these conditions, with the heat, it was a bit flat. In the final Test, which starts on Thursday, we want a sporting wicket that will offer some help to the bowlers as well."

With only one session to play in the Kandy Test against Sri Lanka, Tamim Iqbal hit his second fifty of the match and lead of Sri Lanka came down to seven runs. Bangladesh were batting at 100 for two in 33 overs with Tamim and Mominul were unbeaten for 74 and 23 respectively. The visitors now have to bat at least 35 overs to end this Test in a draw.  The Tigers lost two early wickets as Saif Hassan and Najmul Hossain failed to impress with the bat in the second innings. Saif had suffered a duck in the first innings, and in the second, he returned with one while Najmul had hit a ton in the first innings, but failed in the next as he suffered a duck. Both of the first two wickets were taken by Suranga Lakmal. Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 648 for eight in 179 overs securing a 107-run first-innings lead. Bangladesh were sent to bat after the lunch break of the final day.  The hosts added 136 runs in the first session of the fifth day. Two overnight batsmen, Dimuth Karunarante (244) and Dhananjaya de Silva (166), were removed by Taskin Ahmed while Taijul Islam bagged the wicket of Wanindu Hasaranga and Ebadot Hossain scalped Pathum Nissanka. For Bangladesh, Taskin bagged three wickets conceding 112 runs while Taijul took and Eabdot and Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped one wicket each. Bangladesh removed five Sri Lankan batsman in the first session of the final day with one run out. Earlier, Bangladesh declared the first innings at 541 for seven wickets in 173 overs before the lunch break of day three. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque dominate in the first two days as they have struck a century each. It was the first Test for Najmul, and Mominul recorded his maiden century in away Tests. Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das have struck a fifty each for the visitors. It was the sixth-highest Test innings for the Tigers, and third highest in the overseas Tests. For Sri Lanka, Vishwa Fernando was the most successful bowler who bagged four wickets in the batting paradise conceding 96 runs in 35 overs while Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Dhananjaya de Silva took one wicket each.

Bangladesh  spent an entire day on the field but failed to take a wicket as hosts Sri Lanka piled on the runs in Kandy on day 4, before bad light stopped play in the first Test. The Tigers bowled 76 overs on Saturday and conceded 283 runs. An earlier stoppage together with the early call of stumps meant 14 overs were lost. Still it was the fourth time that Bangladesh spent an entire day on the field without a wicket coming their way. Conversely, it was the sixth instance of Sri Lanka batting an entire day without losing a wicket.  Or put another way, the same two batsmen who walked on to the field at the start of the day's play walking off with their wickets intact at stumps. For the fourth wicket, Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva have now posted 322 runs. At the end of day four, Karunarate remained unbeaten on a career-best 234, while Dhananjaya was batting at 154.  Also read: Karunaratne, de Silva continue to trouble Bangladesh Bangladesh's lead has now come down to 29 runs and would easily have been erased in all likelihood, if the overs weren't lost. At one point there was even talk of the Sri Lankan captain eyeing a daring declaration with any sort of lead, to give the Bangladesh openers a short, uncomfortable period to survive on the fourth day itself.   Now the islanders might try to score some quick runs in the fifth morning and test Bangladesh's nerves in the last two sessions.