Tharanga's double hit, Taskin's reflexes

Is it a mere coincidence that Mushfiqur Rahim's work behind the stumps has improved following the team management's decision to remove him as permanent Test wicketkeeper? He did miss a stumping during this game but he showed fine awareness for most parts, as he did during Bangladesh's historic 100th Test in Colombo where he was a last-minute wicketkeeping replacement. In the third over, he called loud and early, and seemed to endlessly chase a top edge from Danushka Gunathilaka. He ended up around square-leg, where he needed to dive to his right to complete the dismissal. Two other fielders had converged but fortunately they stopped and watched their Test captain take a fine catch.

Upul Tharanga needlessly ran himself out while trying take a single after Mustafizur Rahman bowled a beamer down the leg side. But Thisara Perera did something worse: he ran down the pitch aimlessly after being struck on the pad by Mashrafe Mortaza. Mushfiqur showed alertness by removing one glove, aiming at the stumps and hitting it to catch Perera well short of the crease.

Batsmen find it hard to pick Mustafizur Rahman. It wasn't too different for Upul Tharanga, who decided to invent a new way to get runs off him, albeit inadvertently. Tharanga pulled Mustafizur's first ball of the 25th over to the midwicket boundary. Replays showed the ball struck high on his bat, before meeting the middle and racing away. This might not happen regularly, but when Mustafizur is bowling his cutters and varying his pace, all bets are off. If Tharanga had done this in gully cricket, chances are he would've been given out.

Kusal Mendis hammered Taskin Ahmed's slower delivery back at him. The blow, on Taskin's left shoulder, may have been a stinging one. He could have keeled over in pain and no one would have said a thing to him. But Taskin showed awareness by turning back quickly, taking a couple of steps backward to complete a catch off the rebound. It was only after exchanging a high-five before he finally winced and asked his teammates not to touch his shoulder.