Bangladesh celebrated their 100th Test match with a memorable win over Sri Lanka on the fifth day of the second Test at the P Sara Oval in Colombo on Sunday. Tamim Iqbal scored 82 as Bangladesh chased down the target of 191 with four wickets in hand, recording their ninth Test victory in seventeen years and only their fourth away win. The series is now level 1-1.

Resuming at 268/8 overnight, Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal continued to frustrate Bangladesh as they pushed 150 and dangerously close to 200. The partnership touched 80 before Bangladesh finally got a double-break: Perera was run out for 50 and Shakib Al Hasan had Lakmal next over. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 319, giving Bangladesh a target of 191.

But their chase was immediately plunged into chaos due to a Rangana Herath double-strike. The Sri Lankan captain struck in two balls to remove Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes to leave Bangladesh in all sorts of trouble at 22/2. But opener Tamil Iqbal and Sabbir Rahman went on the counter-attack, smashing Sri Lanka’s spinners off their lines. They put on a huge 109-run partnership with Iqbal especially looking in pristine touch before he threw away his wicket, trying to go down the ground and holing out to Dinesh Chandimal at long-on.

Perera then got the other danger man, Sabbir Rahman, getting him trapped in front after he missed a sweep and then went got a good review.

This brought out Bangladesh’s two senior-most players, Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim, to the crease who safely weathered the storm and took Bangladesh to 156/4 at tea. There was more tension in the last session as Shakib played on to Perera, the bail only falling off after, what seemed an eternity, and Rahim overturning a leg-before decision.

-The Field
-Agencies