SL 172 for 6 on first day

A fantastic exhibition of left-arm spin from Shakib Al Hasan gave Bangladesh the upper hand on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
The visitors who decided to bat first on a slightly grass-laden, two-paced wicket were in big trouble at 172 for six before play was called off due to bad light eighteen minutes from schedule, after the day's play had begun almost two hours late due to heavy fog.
Apart from the fog, the day was also marred by a few poor umpiring decisions that predictably went against the weaker side but the Tigers, to their credit, did not take it to heart and bowled purposefully.
But the day truly belonged to one man and that happened to be the Tigers' lead spinner Shakib. The left-armer gave Bangladesh a much-needed breakthrough midway through the second session and then bowled a couple of perfect deliveries that left the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan baffled.
With the Lankans cruising at 119 for one, Kumar Sangakkara flicked a drifting Shakib delivery straight to skipper Mohammad Ashraful at mid-wicket. The classy left-hander had made 43 in more than two hours but more than that, he added 95 runs for the second wicket with opener Michael Vandort, who was dismissed next over after a steady 44.
Fifteen minutes later, the ball of the day got rid of the visiting captain. The ball pitched on line and straightened to go between Jayawardene's bat and pad and hit the top of off-stump. The perfect arm-ball but that was not all.
With the Lankans on 155 for five, the busy Dilshan tried to play for spin and was bowled comprehensively like his captain.
The day was capped off brilliantly when Prasanna Jayawardene top-edged Shahadat Hossain's short ball and fine-leg Tamim Iqbal took a simple catch. The fast bowler from Narayanganj was lucky to get his first wicket, that of top-scorer Michael Vandort, when a rank long-hop ended in mid-wicket's lap.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was the unsung hero, however, having beaten the bat endlessly and for a change he was rewarded early on. Malinda Warnapura shouldered-arms in the ninth over and thankfully umpire Nigel Llong raised his finger.
Shakib ended the day with the best bowling figures of three for 43 and a smile to match.