BANGLADESH TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2025
Mendis credited Nissanka for his brilliant batting display © AFP
Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis has said that a 150-200 run lead will put his side in a dominant position with spin expected to play a crucial role in the last two days of the ongoing second Test.
Sri Lanka took a 43-run first innings lead on the back Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten 146 and Dinesh Chandimal 93 as they finished Day 2 on 290/2.
“We are in a very good position and tomorrow we have to bat the whole day. We will try to get a lead of 150 to 200. We hope the wicket will spin on the final two days,” Kusal said after the second day’s play.
“We’re planning to score as much as possible – get something over 400. Hopefully, we can do that tomorrow.
“The grass has dried out, footmarks are forming, and I expect it to turn more. We are not looking to bat in the fourth innings. We want to bat deep now and put them under pressure,” he added.
Mendis credited Nissanka for his brilliant batting display and added that they need to recognize the performance of their pacers who helped them dismiss the opponents under 250 runs.
“He (Pathum) has been a treat to watch. He batted so well. Even in the last series, he was amongst the runs. It was a shame he missed out on a double hundred in Galle – I hope he gets there here. He has been our in-form batter in all three formats. He works hard on his game, and that’s clearly visible.
“What we planned, the quicks executed. They were disciplined with their lengths and lines. On a pitch with not much pace, that’s exactly what you need – not just with the new ball, but with the old ball too. That’s the best I have seen our fast bowlers bowl in Sri Lanka.
“We knew the wicket would slow down and turn. Our fast bowlers were outstanding, and they deserve a lot of credit. I believe as we head into Day Four, conditions will be very different to what we’ve seen so far,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons blamed their batting unit as they failed to form partnerships and added that the wicket changed a lot during the second innings.
“Where we missed a trick was not building big partnerships yesterday and as a result we went into today with only two or three wickets in hand.
“It comes back to our batting and the partnerships we failed to build. At least two or three guys should have carried on yesterday and gotten big scores. I hope we’ve taken note of how well Nissanka batted, and that we come out in the second innings aiming for big runs.
“The wicket definitely improved as on the first day, it was a bit sticky and two-paced. Today, it got a lot better, and we saw how easy it was for the batters. There wasn’t as much turn as yesterday, and the batters batted well. That’s what Test cricket is about sometimes,” he added.
© Cricbuzz
