Records tumbled as Mohammed Ashraful and Mushfiqur Raheem guided Bangladesh out of trouble by posting a mammoth 261 unbeaten partnership for the fifth wicket, at close on the third day of the first cricket test, played at the Galle International Stadium, on Sunday.
Thanks to their valiant efforts, Bangladesh reached 438 for 4 at stumps on the third day and the visitors are 132 runs behind Sri Lanka with six wickets in hand.
Ashraful, easily the best test batsman that Bangladesh has ever produced, went on to score the highest individual test score for his nation. He surpassed his own 158 against India at Chittagong in December 2004.
The fifth wicket pair kept Sri Lankans toiling for more than five hours without a wicket. The unbroken stand was the highest partnership for any wicket in a test match for Bangladesh.
Ashraful, the senior most cricketer in the Bangladesh team, who made a century on his debut against Sri Lanka in 2001, played a matured innings in Galle on his comeback to test cricket after 15 months.
He ambitiously walked towards his goal on a placid batting track, where the bowlers struggled for most of the time. None of the Sri Lankan bowlers troubled him for 130 overs.
The 28 year old right hander cut and drove easily and the ball raced towards the boundary ropes on 20 occasions, without giving much of a chance to the fielders. He hit a magnificent inside-out six off Rangana Herath to push his total to 84.
Out of his six test centuries, five were against Sri Lanka and his previous one came in 2008 in Dhaka against the same opposition.
Rahim scored his career best test score of 152 not out in 310 minutes, facing 236 balls with 18 fours and a towering six off T.M. Dilshan.
In association with Ashraful, debutant Mominul Haque added 105 runs to the third wicket. His innings of 108 minutes fetched 55 runs including nine boundaries.
Sri Lanka struck twice to capture the wickets of Mominul and Mahmudullah (0) within the space of nine balls but Ashraful and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim prevented any further inroads into the batting.(Daminda Wijesuriya )
Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)