Bangladesh's fast-bowling evolution bears fruit in green Sylhet

Glass half-full or glass half-empty? It was a day when Bangladesh pinned Sri Lanka on the ropes, but then allowed them to wriggle free and, with the ball in hand, throw some heavy punches of their own. Whichever way you saw it however, Bangladesh's fast bowlers were in the thick of the action.

On a rare green-tinged pitch in Sylhet, Khaled Ahmed gave them a blazing start before Sri Lanka counter-attacked and took control of the middle session. Then the fast bowlers struck again.

Sri Lanka had never before lost half their side so cheaply against Bangladesh. In fact, barring one or two spells in Tests between the two over the last two decades, it is hard to recall Sri Lanka facing Bangladesh's fast bowling with such discomfort.

As the ball got older though, the Bangladesh fast bowlers dragged their lengths back. Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis found that counterattacking the short ball was their best option. They added 202 runs for the sixth wicket on way to individual centuries. Nahid Rana brought Bangladesh back at that point, striking three times like Khaled before him. The visitors finished on 280, their third-lowest total against Bangladesh.

Still, Sri Lanka had reached a decent score, given how poorly they were placed in the first session. There might be a feeling that the Bangladesh fast bowlers couldn't quite finish the job. However, you cannot disregard Mahmudul Hasan Joy grassing Kamindu Mendis first ball; Sri Lanka would have been 57 for 6, with only their captain de Silva left with the tail.

Bowling coach Andre Adams said that Khaled and Rana bowled very well together, but he would have been happier had the fast bowlers kept that going in the middle session.

"They were good in parts," Adams said. "There was partnership bowling throughout the day. Rana bowled very well in partnership with Khaled at the start. But then they relaxed in the pressure aspect. It wasn't until the two spinners came on that we gained control of the scorecard again.

"I thought Rana was outstanding, especially on debut. [Khaled] is an accurate bowler. This is a pretty young bowling attack. Shoriful was good in parts. I thought Rana and Khaled bowled well together. We created several chances in the first session, which was exceptional. Especially when you think that there was only ten overs of real pressure with the ball. Some great fielding and good catching. Disappointing that we didn't grab two chances, which really could have spun the Test match. You have control if you take seven wickets at lunch."

Khaled's first spell of 8-1-23-3 included the wickets of Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne. He got the ball to nibble away from Madushka and Kusal while bringing it back sharply through the left-handed Karunaratne's bat and pad. Angelo Mathews' run out, coming in a Khaled over, also underlined how well he was putting Sri Lanka's experienced top-order under pressure.

Adams, who joined the Bangladesh team only recently, was especially impressed by newcomer Rana, billed as Bangladesh's fastest bowler. "He is talented. He is fast. He bowled almost every ball at 145kph. He has a beautiful action. He is just so raw. He has a lot to learn but he is very talented.

"The young attack responded to Test match special in the best way they know. They tried their hardest. I was happy with the effort. We just have to learn how to do it better. I didn't expect Sri Lanka to play any other way. They are going to attack. We have to manage ourselves better through that."

Najmul Hossain Shanto brought spin on in the 26th over, the latest that a Bangladesh spinner has been introduced in a Test-match innings, testament to how well the pacers were going. A culmination of Bangladesh's fast-bowling evolution over the past three years; it has been the facet of their game that has seen the most development. From a time when fast bowling was virtually non-existent in home Tests, they have now got to a stage where the team management was comfortable with a green surface in Sylhet. Some may say that Shakib Al Hasan's absence prompted the Bangladesh think-tank to explore a different bowling strategy, but they still have match-winning spinners like Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam in the team.

This change in mindset is itself a win for the fast bowlers. They came into this Test with a combined experience of just 21 matches. Taskin Ahmed is taking a break from the longest format. Ebadot Hossain is still in the middle of a long injury layoff. But Khaled and Shoriful stood up like senior bowlers, before Rana showed glimpses of his ability. They have shown consistency with the white ball. Can they take the next step and show the sustained longevity needed with the red ball?