Upul Tharanga’s well-paced 115 off 171 balls put Sri Lanka on course towards setting Bangladesh an imposing target on Day 4 of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium on Friday (March 10).
After a watchful outing in the opening session, Tharanga, who was unbeaten on 40 off 94 at the break, unleashed a volley of boundaries as he helped Sri Lanka make steady progress post lunch.
The hosts went into Tea at 247 for 5, leading by 429 runs.
At the start of the second session, Kusal Mendis was living dangerously - a DRS appeal going against Bangladesh and an outside edge landing just before the ‘keeper.
However, Sri Lanka managed to press on thanks to Tharanga, who dealt in regular boundaries after reaching his fifty to extend the lead past 300.
Bearing the brunt of the attack was Mustafizur Rahman, whose second spell yielded 22 runs after he had conceded only one run off his first five overs before Lunch, including four maidens in a row.
Cricbuzz
