Twin tons, but Tigers still behind

Bangladesh opener Shamsur Rahman has every reason to enjoy a full-throated shout after scoring his maiden ton on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Chittagong yesterday. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

The Tigers finally found their feet in the series, courtesy of maiden centuries from Shamsur Rahman and Imrul Kayes on the third day of the second and final Test at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday. The duo put on a magnificent 232-run second-wicket stand -- the second-highest Test partnership for Bangladesh after Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful's 267 against the same opponents at Galle -- and helped the home team finish the day on 409 for eight.
If that was all there was to the day then it would have been a fantastic story for Bangladesh. However as the game progressed and the partnership was broken the performance of the home team slipped. Despite the improvement, Sri Lanka still had the upper hand and in a position to effect a clean sweep as Bangladesh trailed by 178 runs with only two wickets in hand.
It could have been a much better day for the Tigers, who could have taken big steps toward a creditable draw if they sustained the temperament showed early by the second-wicket pair. Shamsur and Imrul laid the platform for that but unfortunately they have to take the blame for their dismissals which were brought about wrong shot selection. The rest followed in much the same vein to spoil the opportunity of finishing the day on a high note.
The home tent however did not fume over the poor dismissals but instead focused on an allegedly poor decision against Nasir Hossain, with Shamsur implying in the post-day press conference that the decision spoiled the day for his team. “We were successful with the big partnership and at the end of the day I think [with] the umpire's bad decision, the entire day went against us. If that didn't happen then we probably would have been in a good position. I don't think that touched the ball. The bat touched the wicket, it was a bad decision. Obviously, Nasir is the key player at that spot.”
With just less than four overs remaining in the day's play, a wide ball from the most successful spinner Ajantha Mendis failed to bounce and wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal collected what umpire Paul Reiffel believed was an under-edge to put end to Nasir's 42-run knock.  
But Bangladesh team think-tank should instead ask the batsman why he played that cut shot in the dying moments when Bangladesh desperately needed to finish the day with him and Mahmudullah Riyad at the crease. Basically the right-hander paid the price for his frequent, aggressive shots much like Shakib Al Hasan did when he failed to convert his 50 into a big one. Injured skipper Mushfiqur cannot be blamed too much for his dismissal but Mominul Haque fell to an unnecessary sweep to deepen the crisis after opener Shamsur's departure.
Shamsur and Imrul resumed the day and were the unlikely source of hope as they played the entire first session with caution. But they themselves snatched away the hope after lunch as they lost their composure and failed to capitalise on the luck they had. Both went for slogs soon after completing their hundreds as if to say that their job was done, regardless of whether there was still a lot to do to save the match.
Shamsur reached his maiden hundred in his second Test by driving through the covers. His hundred however, seemed to make his partner more nervous.
Batting anxiously on 95, the left-hander Imrul, on his return to Test cricket after a two-year gap was incredibly fortunate as Kithuruwan Vithanage dropped an easy catch to give him a chance to achieve the magical three-figure mark.  
While Sri Lanka will rue the dropped chances despite a late Mendis double-strike that swung the match decisively in their favour, Bangladesh must search for the elusive formula that will allow them to sustain Test-match temperament for an entire innings; not just a session or two.