Sri Lanka amassed a record-breaking 531 runs in their first innings during the second Test against Bangladesh, but Kamindu Mendis narrowly missed scoring a third consecutive century. Despite Sri Lanka’s dominating performance, Bangladesh managed to reach 55-1 at stumps, trailing by 476 runs. Mendis was just eight runs shy of achieving the rare feat of three consecutive centuries but fell short when the last man, Asitha Fernando, was run out. Mendis, however, expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, emphasizing their strategic planning in posting a total exceeding 500 runs. Bangladesh’s batting coach, David Hemp, expressed hope for a strong batting display from his team, considering the favorable pitch conditions. Apart from Mendis, several other Sri Lankan batsmen, including Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Mendis, made significant contributions. Bangladesh’s bowler Shakib Al Hasan claimed three wickets, but Sri Lanka’s strong batting display ensured a challenging task for the hosts. Sri Lanka, historically dominant against Bangladesh in Test matches, won the first Test by a significant margin.
