Shanto, Mushfiqur fifties stabilise Bangladesh
Debutant Tharindu Rathnayake picked up two wickets before lunch but was costly otherwise
Madushka Balasuriya
17-Jun-2025 • Updated 1 hr ago
Najmul Hossain Shanto brings up his fifty • AFP/Getty Images
Tea Bangladesh 182 for 3 (Shanto 70*, Mushfiqur 66*, Tharindu 2-91) vs Sri Lanka
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim consolidated their countercharge against Sri Lanka, dominating the post-lunch session with an unbeaten 137-run stand in Galle. Ninety-two runs were scored in the session in total.
Most worryingly for the hosts neither batter looked troubled throughout their stay, despite Sri Lanka trying out five different bowling options against them. To an extent, this was expected, with the pitch suited for batting - particularly on day one - but with the surface moisture that had been present in the morning completely gone, so too disappeared the occasional grip and turn for the spinners.
The rapid outfield also meant there was good value to be had for strokes, of which there have been plenty between this pair. They've struck 11 fours and a six combined, and in the process ensured that Sri Lanka were rarely able to build periods of concerted pressure.
Only Milan Ratnayake, nagging with his back-of-length deliveries on and around off stump, proved difficult to get away; his eight overs went for just 11 runs. But with runs leaking at the other end, primarily through debutant Tharindu Rathnayake who went for 91 across 22 overs, both Shanto and Mushfiqur have had things mostly their own way.
The fact that there has been just a solitary maiden between three spinners tells a story. Sri Lanka perhaps missed a trick in not pairing Milan with the more economical Prabath Jayasuriya, whose 17 overs went for 46. The wisdom of their most expensive bowler being their most used also might be worth reevaluating.
That said, it was through the debutant Tharindu that Sri Lanka had their best moments. After Asitha Fernando had removed Anamul Haque cheaply, Tharindu had Shadman Islam, and Mominul Haque edging to slip off consecutive deliveries.
Both those wickets came courtesy of deliveries that provided extra turn and bounce, but the lines and lengths that enabled such deviation have been lacking since.
