An impressive knock from Tillakaratne Dilshan helped Sri Lanka get their innings back on track on day one of the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.
Dilshan smashed an unbeaten 95 from 81 balls as the tourists recovered from a precarious 75 for four to reach 229 for five at tea.
His fifth-wicket stand of 119 with Malinda Warnapura allowed Sri Lanka to gain the upper hand in the second session after Bangladesh had threatened to dominate with the ball.
The hosts enjoyed the better of the first morning and had reduced their opponents to 65 for three at lunch.
Mashrafe Mortaza struck with just the fourth ball of the match when the right-arm bowler got a delivery to move back into Prassana Jayawardene and the opener was trapped lbw first ball.
It then got better for both Bangladesh and Mortaza as he claimed the crucial scalp of Kumar Sangakkara in the third over when he played onto his own stumps with a thick inside edge to leave Sri Lanka seven for two.
Warnapura and skipper Mahela Jayawardene, playing in his 100th Test match, looked to repair the damage but it was slow going and the latter was dismissed for 11 when he edged slow left-armer Shakib Al Hasan to keeper Mushfiqur Rahim with the score on 39.
Warnapura and Thilan Samaraweera saw Sri Lanka through to the interval, but the latter lasted just 10 balls of the second session before he was bowled by Shahadat Hossain.
The tourists were beginning to look vulnerable but Dilshan's arrival at the crease quickly changed things. While Warnapura was pedestrian in reaching his fifty from 133 balls, Dilshan smashed eight fours and a six to bring up his half-century from just 37 deliveries.
Warnapura had hit 63 when he was trapped leg before by Ashraful, but Dilshan continued to punish the Bangladesh bowlers to reach tea just five runs short of the century mark. Chamara Kapugedera had also added a useful 26 by the interval while Mortaza was the pick of the home side's bowlers with two for 16.
Dilshan smashed an unbeaten 95 from 81 balls as the tourists recovered from a precarious 75 for four to reach 229 for five at tea.
His fifth-wicket stand of 119 with Malinda Warnapura allowed Sri Lanka to gain the upper hand in the second session after Bangladesh had threatened to dominate with the ball.
The hosts enjoyed the better of the first morning and had reduced their opponents to 65 for three at lunch.
Mashrafe Mortaza struck with just the fourth ball of the match when the right-arm bowler got a delivery to move back into Prassana Jayawardene and the opener was trapped lbw first ball.
It then got better for both Bangladesh and Mortaza as he claimed the crucial scalp of Kumar Sangakkara in the third over when he played onto his own stumps with a thick inside edge to leave Sri Lanka seven for two.
Warnapura and skipper Mahela Jayawardene, playing in his 100th Test match, looked to repair the damage but it was slow going and the latter was dismissed for 11 when he edged slow left-armer Shakib Al Hasan to keeper Mushfiqur Rahim with the score on 39.
Warnapura and Thilan Samaraweera saw Sri Lanka through to the interval, but the latter lasted just 10 balls of the second session before he was bowled by Shahadat Hossain.
The tourists were beginning to look vulnerable but Dilshan's arrival at the crease quickly changed things. While Warnapura was pedestrian in reaching his fifty from 133 balls, Dilshan smashed eight fours and a six to bring up his half-century from just 37 deliveries.
Warnapura had hit 63 when he was trapped leg before by Ashraful, but Dilshan continued to punish the Bangladesh bowlers to reach tea just five runs short of the century mark. Chamara Kapugedera had also added a useful 26 by the interval while Mortaza was the pick of the home side's bowlers with two for 16.
