Dimuth Karunaratne is steadying Sri Lanka's second innings in the first Test against Bangladesh. -AP
Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam has taken three second-innings wickets as his team battles Sri Lanka on a tense final day of the first Test in Chattogram.
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By lunch, Bangladesh had reduced Sri Lanka to 4-128 in their second innings - an overall lead of 60 - with captain Dimuth Karunaratne unbeaten on 44 and Dhananjaya de Silva not out on 12.
Batting dominated the bulk of the first four days, with Sri Lanka posting 397 before Bangladesh replied with 465, taking a 68-run first-innings lead and then taking two wickets before the end of Day 4.
Sri Lanka made a rapid start after resuming at 3-39, with Kusal Mendis unleashing a powerful attack with two boundaries in the first over from Taijul.
Karunaratne was restrained but never hesitated to make the most of any loose deliveries against a Bangladesh attack that was missing a bowling option after Shoriful Islam was ruled out with a fracture of the hand he sustained while batting.
Mendis scored 48 from 43 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries and a six, before he was dismissed by Taijul (3-38) with a ball that spun past him and clipped off stump.
Taijul also tormented Angelo Mathews, who'd posted 199 in Sri Lanka's first innings but was out for a 15-ball duck this time.
After failing to get off the mark, a visibly frustrated Mathews tried to charge at a Taijul delivery but ended up giving a return catch.
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