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Sri Lanka produced an all-round performance to beat Bangladesh with a comprehensive 328-run victory in the first Test of the two-match series on Monday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
On Day 4 of an exhilarating Test between two Asian cricketing giants, Mominul Haque throughout the day resisted and put up a stern fight against Sri Lanka's deadly bowling line-up. His composure with the bat kept the Sri Lankan bowlers at bay. Bangladesh resumed the day with a score of 47/5 after the pace duo of Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara removed the hosts top order on Day 3. Sri Lanka once again imposed their dominance on the hosts, with Taijul Islam (6) trapped by Rajitha in front of the stumps on the first ball that he faced on Day 4. Taijul's dismissal saw the arrival of Mehidy Hasan, who provided good support to Mominul. They played shots according to the delivery, which kept the scoreboard ticking. However, Rajitha struck back by luring Mehidy to play a mistimed stroke, breaking the 66-run stand between the duo. Looking to capitalise on the opportunity, Sri Lankan pace bowlers relied on the short ball ploy to pick Mominul's wicket. The left-handed batter had a couple of scares as he got tangled at times, but got away with it. Mominul and Bangladesh ended the first session with a score of 129/7. In the second session, Rajitha came close to dismissing Shoriful but the ball didn't stick in Dhananjaya's hands at the first slip. An over later, Rajitha picked back-to-back wickets, bringing an end to Shoriful's counter-attacking knock and then Khaled Ahmed fell for a golden duck. With just a wicket left, Mominul launched a counter-attack, with Prabath Jayasuriya falling on the receiving end. Mominul struck a six and then back-to-back fours, entertaining the crowd in the process. Lahiru Kumara eventually put the nail in the coffin, with Nahid Rana falling for an eight-ball duck. Earlier in the Test, after Bangladesh won the toss and put Sri Lanka to bat, the hosts reduced the visitors to 57/5. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis pulled Sri Lanka back in the game and brought up a 202-run stand. Their heroic effort with the bat propelled Sri Lanka to a competitive score of 280. In reply, the pace trio of Vishwa Fernando, Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara combined to share the ten wickets among them, reducing Bangladesh to 188. Sri Lanka came out to bat again and once again, the duo of Dhananjaya de Silva (108) and Kamindu Mendis (164) turned up with the bat and powered the visitors to 418. Bangladesh failed to turn up with the bat and ended up suffering a 328-run defeat. Brief Score: Sri Lanka 280 & 418 (Kamindu Mendis 164, Dhananjaya de Silva 108; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 4-74) vs Bangladesh 188 & 182 (Mominul Haque 87*; Kasun Rajitha 5-56, Vishwa Fernando 3-36). (ANI)
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