CHATTOGRAM (BANGLADESH), Apr 2:
Sri Lanka was closing in on victory and another test series sweep in Bangladesh after reducing the host to 268-7 in an improbable chase of a 511-run target on Tuesday.
Pacer Lahiru Kumara, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuirya and occasional bowler Kamindu Mendis took two wickets each to put Bangladesh in survival mode on day four of the second and last test.
Bangladesh barely forced a fifth day. At stumps, Mehidy Hasan was on 44 from 49 balls after hitting seven fours and Taijul Islam on 10.
They were 243 runs from an unlikely victory, but 511 was never on. Nobody could resist Sri Lanka’s bowling.
Mominul Haque’s second fifty in the series helped Bangladesh go past 200 for the first time in five test innings dating to December. But he was dismissed on 50 off 56 after hitting eight fours and one six.
Sri Lanka started the day batting and allowed Angelo Mathews to score his first half-century of the series and 41st in his career. Sri Lanka resumed its second innings on 102-6 and declared at 157-7 shortly after Mathews was bowled by Shakib Al Hasan for 56 after hitting five boundaries.
Prabath Jayasuriya was unbeaten on 28.
Sri Lanka posted 531 in its first innings, the highest total without any batsman scoring a century, and took a 353-run lead without enforcing the follow-on. Sri Lanka has never lost a test in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh batted eight overs without loss to lunch, then lost its first wicket in the second over after the interval.
Jayasuriya broke up the openers when he dismissed Mahmudul Hasan on 24.(PTI)
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