Dinusha takes 2 wickets on debut as Sri Lanka restrict Bangladesh on Day 1 of 2nd test

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha took two wickets on debut as Sri Lanka limited Bangladesh to 220-8 on the opening day Wednesday of the second test.

Fast bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando also took two each at Singhalese Sports Club.

An hour-long rain delay meant only 71 overs were played when bad light forced stumps.

Six Bangladesh batters made starts of 20-plus but the best was opener Shadman Islam, who got 46.

Fellow opener Amanul Haque, before he scored, was dropped behind the stumps off Asitha Fernando but Asitha Fernando bowled him seven balls later off an inside edge for a duck.

Mominul Haque and Shadman shared seven boundaries and 38 runs until Mominul hit the first ball he faced from Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva straight to cover on 21.

In the second over after lunch, Vishwa Fernando claimed the big wicket of Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored two centuries in the first test in Galle.

Shanto was caught behind for 8 off 31 balls.

When Shadman was taken at slip by de Silva from off-spinner Tharindu Rathnayake, Bangladesh was 76-4. Shadman’s 93-ball knock included seven boundaries.

After the rain delay, Mushfiqur Rahim was dropped in the deep on 8 and he and Litton Das combined for 67 runs for the fifth wicket to steady Bangladesh.

Das was dropped, too, on 34, but didn’t add to his score when he gave an edge to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis and Dinusha’s maiden test wicket at 143-5 just moments before tea.

That was also Dinusha’s 100th first-class wicket in his 49th match. He has a batting average of 40.

Dinusha came into the side following the retirement of great allrounder Angelo Mathews after the first test.

Dinusha also bagged Rahim on 35, caught in the deep. Dinusha had 2-5 off five overs at that stage and finished the day with 2-22.

Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who missed the first test due to an injury, returned in place of Jaker Ali and was seventh man out on 31, edging to the lone slip off Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando, replacing Milan Rathnayake in the lineup, should have had Taijul Islam in the same over before the batter scored, but Mendis put down the nick.

Asitha Fernando bowled Nayeem Hasan on 25 just before stumps to leave Taijul on 9 not out, and Ebadot Hossain on 5.