Captain DIMUTH KARUNARATNE and all-rounder DHANANJAYA de Silva reached personal milestones as Sri Lanka kept the Bangladesh bowlers working hard for a wicket on the fourth day of the first Test at the PALLEKELE International Cricket Stadium in Kandy today.
Before stumps were drawn following plentiful light, Sri Lanka scored 512 for three in 149 overs in reply to Bangladesh’s first innings score of 541 for seven (declared).After KARUNARATNE bruised his maiden Test double ton, right-hander DHANANJAYA de Silva went on to cross the 150-run mark.
DHANANJAYA brought up his 150 in style when he came down the track and beaten a TAIJUL ISLAM delivery through midwicket for his 20th boundary. He remains undefeated on 154 off 278 deliveries. Meanwhile,
KARUNARATNE, who has been difficult for the most part of his remain at the crease, reached the milestone in a nervy manner. He slashed hard at an outside off delivery from Taskin Ahmed and got an under edge that took the ball past the first slip for a boundary at the third man region.
KARUNARATNE ratcheted up the scoring rate since reaching double hundred as he raced to 234 off 419 deliveries before play was stopped due to bad light for the second time on the day. Earlier, umpires and players had walked off the pitch for a brief period after only five overs were bowled since Tea.
Notwithstanding the all-time obstacles, it has been a wonderful day of cricket for Sri Lanka as the duo of KARUNARATNE and DHANANJAYA strung together a record partnership while the Bangladesh players looked helpless on a pitch that offers very little help to the bowlers.
Their undefeated 322-run stand for the fourth wicket is Sri Lanka’s highest partnership for any wicket against Bangladesh in Tests. They crossed the previous best of 311-run stand for the third wicket between KUMAR SANGAKKARA and MAHELA JAYAWARDENE in back in 2007. It is also the all-time highest partnership at this ground, overtaking the previous best of the 258-run stand between Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh in 2011.