Sri Lanka on strong footing in Mirpur

Half-centuries on Day 3 from former skipper Angelo Mathews and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva took Sri Lanka to a position of strength in the second and deciding Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur on Wednesday.

Mathews remained unbeaten on 58 off 153 deliveries while Dhananjaya scored 58 off 95 deliveries as Sri Lanka ended the day 282 for five, only 83 runs behind Bangladesh's first innings score of 365.

Batting in the middle with Mathews was Dinesh Chandimal on 10.

Shakib Al Hasan was the most successful of the Bangladesh bowlers, with figures of three for 59 in 26 overs. Ebadot Hossain, with two wickets for 78 runs in 26 overs, was the other wicket-taker.

Only 51 overs of play was possible on the day as the entire post-Lunch session and more was washed out due to rain.

Once rain relented and the field was prepared, play took place till 6:00. The fourth and fifth days' play will start at 9:30pm to cover some time.