COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — After a nervous start, Bangladesh reached 71 for two wickets at lunch on the opening day of the second cricket test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat first at the Singhalese Sports Club.
The first test played in Galle ended in a draw.
Opening batter Anamul Haque failed to capitalize on a reprieve when Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis dropped him off fast bowler Asitha Fernando. He was out by the same bowler after a few deliveries without scoring with Sri Lanka's total on five.
Mominul Haque and Shadman Islam shared a promising partnership of 38 runs but Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva removed Mominul (21), caught by substitute fielder Pawan Rathnayake.
Islam was batting on 43 with Shanto on seven at the lunch break.
Allrounder Sonal Dinusha, who is 24, made his test debut for Sri Lanka after the retirement of senior allrounder Angelo Mathews after the first test.
Dinusha has scored 2,478 runs playing in 48 first-class matches and averaging more than 40 runs per innings. He has also taken 99 first-class wickets.
Fast bowler Milan Rathnayake was left out of the lineup because of injury and left-arm paceman Vishwa Fernando takes his place. Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who missed the first test due to an injury, returned in the place of Jaker Ali.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Krishan Francis, The Associated Press
