Sri Lanka Aims for Unassailable Lead After Dominating Bangladesh on Day 2 of Second Test

Kusal Mendis, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter, expressed confidence that securing a lead of 150-200 runs would place his team in a dominant position, particularly with the expectation of spin playing a significant role in the final two days of the ongoing second Test match against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka concluded Day 2 with a score of 290/2, establishing a 43-run lead in the first innings. This was largely thanks to Pathum Nissanka's impressive unbeaten 146 and Dinesh Chandimal's contribution of 93 runs.

Mendis credited Nissanka for his brilliant batting display © AFP

"We are in a very good position, and our aim is to bat throughout the entire day tomorrow. We're focused on building a lead of 150 to 200 runs. We anticipate that the wicket will offer more spin on the last two days," Mendis stated following the second day's play.

He further added, "Our plan is to accumulate as many runs as possible – aiming for a total exceeding 400. Hopefully, we can achieve that goal tomorrow."

Mendis also noted the changing conditions of the pitch. "The grass has dried out, and footmarks are becoming more prominent, leading me to believe that the pitch will offer increased turn. We are not keen on batting in the fourth innings. Our strategy is to bat deep now and exert significant pressure on the opposition."

Mendis lauded Nissanka for his exceptional batting performance and emphasized the importance of acknowledging the efforts of their pace bowlers, who played a crucial role in dismissing Bangladesh for under 250 runs.

"It's been a pleasure to witness Pathum's batting. He demonstrated exceptional skill and form. Even in the previous series, he was a consistent run-scorer. It's unfortunate that he narrowly missed out on a double century in Galle, and I hope he achieves that milestone here. He has consistently been our top performer across all three formats. His dedication to improving his game is evident in his performances."

"Our fast bowlers executed our plans perfectly. They maintained discipline in their lengths and lines. On a pitch that doesn't offer much pace, that's precisely what you need – not only with the new ball but also with the old ball. This is the best I've seen our fast bowlers perform in Sri Lanka."

"We anticipated that the wicket would become slower and offer more turn. Our fast bowlers were outstanding, and they deserve immense credit. I anticipate that the conditions on Day Four will be significantly different from what we've experienced thus far," he concluded.

On the other side, Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons attributed their struggles to the batting unit's failure to establish substantial partnerships and pointed out the noticeable change in the wicket's behavior during the second innings.

"Our main shortcoming was the failure to construct significant partnerships yesterday, which resulted in us entering today's play with only two or three wickets remaining."

"It ultimately comes down to our batting performance and the partnerships we couldn't forge. At least two or three of our batsmen should have capitalized on their starts yesterday and achieved significant scores. I hope we've learned from Nissanka's excellent batting display and that we approach our second innings with the intention of scoring big runs."

"The wicket definitely improved as 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 concluded.