Tamim, Joy in fluent start after Sri Lanka’s 397

Openers Tamim Iqbal (35) and Mahmudul Hasan Joy (31) have given Bangladesh a fluent start to their first innings after Nayeem Hasan’s career-best six-wicket haul wrapped up Sri Lanka for 397 in the Chattogram Test.

The islanders’ innings, however, ended in heartbreak as Angelo Mathews fell on 199 after carrying the visitors to the score at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday.

As Mathews arrived within the touching distance of the double century, skipper Mominul Haque paused for a while to make changes to his field. The Sri Lankan allrounder ended up lobbing Nayeem (6-105) straight to Shakib Al Hasan at midwicket after batting for nine hours and 38 minutes over the two days.

Bangladeshi fielders then ran up to the disappointed batsman to congratulate him for the superb effort.

Mathews’s 397-all innings was laced with 19 boundaries and a six after he came in at a time when his team needed a steely show on the first day and early in the second as Sri Lanka collapsed from 319 for four to 328 for eight in the space of 21 deliveries.

Nayeem trapped Dinesh Chandimal (66) in front after the batsman missed a reverse-sweep before Niroshan Dickwella fell in the same over as Bangladesh walked to lunch with some satisfaction.

Shakib (3-60) then dealt more damage with two more wickets in consecutive deliveries as he castled Ramesh Mendis and Masith Embuldeniya. As Bangladesh looked to clean up the tail fast, Mathews found another able partner in Vishwa Fernando (17 of 77 balls)

The duo added another 47 for the ninth wicket before the No. 10 was hit on the top of his helmet with a short ball by Shoriful Islam and was forced to retire hurt after tea. However, he eventually had to walk out to support Mathews after Asitha Fernando perished for Nayeem’s fifth.

After Nayeem registered a fine return to the Test squad after a year by bagging Mathews’s wicket, Tamim and Joy smashed nine boundaries between them to cut the first innings deficit to 321 for Bangladesh.