Vishwa Fernando Shines as Bangladesh Crumble to 220-8 - Bloom Pakistan

Vishwa Fernando Shines as Bangladesh Crumble to 220-8

Islamabad, June 26, 2025: Left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha claimed two wickets on his debut as Sri Lanka held Bangladesh to 220-8 on the first day of the second Test on Wednesday. Pace bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando also secured two wickets each.

A rain interruption lasting an hour restricted the match to just 71 overs before poor light halted the day’s action.

Six Bangladeshi batters crossed the 20-run mark, but opener Shadman Islam top-scored with 46. His fellow opener, Amanul Haque, was dropped behind the stumps off Asitha Fernando before he had opened his account, but seven deliveries later, Asitha dismissed him via an inside edge for a duck.

Mominul Haque and Shadman combined for 38 runs, striking seven boundaries, before Mominul was caught at cover on 21, facing the first ball from Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva.

Shortly after lunch, Vishwa Fernando dismissed Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had previously hit two centuries in the first Test in Galle. Shanto edged behind after making 8 from 31 deliveries.

When Shadman was caught in the slips by de Silva off the bowling of off-spinner Tharindu Rathnayake, Bangladesh was reduced to 76-4. Shadman faced 93 balls and hit seven fours.

Following the rain break, Mushfiqur Rahim was dropped in the deep on 8, and he, along with Litton Das, stitched a 67-run partnership for the fifth wicket to stabilize the innings.

Das, who was also dropped on 34, didn’t add to his score before edging to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, giving Dinusha his first Test wicket at 143-5. That scalp was also Dinusha’s 100th first-class wicket in his 49th appearance. He averages 40 with the bat.

He later dismissed Rahim on 35, caught in the deep. At that point, Dinusha had figures of 2-5 in five overs and concluded the day with 2-22.

Bangladesh’s all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who sat out the first Test due to injury, returned in place of Jaker Ali and was the seventh batter to fall, edging to the only slip for 31 off Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando, who came into the side in place of Milan Rathnayake, nearly had Taijul Islam in the same over before he scored, but Mendis failed to hold on to the edge.

Asitha Fernando clean-bowled Nayeem Hasan on 25 shortly before the end of play, leaving Taijul unbeaten on 9 and Ebadot Hossain on 5.