Muralitharan haul gives Sri Lanka control
Muralitharan clinched his 66th Test match five-wicket haul.
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Saturday, 27, Dec 2008 03:53
Five wickets from Muttiah Muralitharan left Sri Lanka in a commanding position after day two of their opening Test against Bangladesh.
Spinners dominated the wicket in Dhaka, with Muralitharan taking 5-48 after Shakib Al Hasan took 5-70 for Bangladesh during Sri Lanka's first innings score of 293.
Muralitharan then gave the visitors the driving seat leaving Bangladesh on 177-9 at the close of play.
Beginning day two on 172-6, Sri Lanka's Thilan Samaraweera put in a crucial effort at the wicket with 90 runs.
Chminda Vaas also scored 37 with the bat and came within one run of achieving a century partnership with Samaraweera.
All-rounder Al Hasan took an impressive 5-70, his third successive five-wicket haul, before finally dismissing Samaraweera in the last wicket of Sri Lanka's opening innings of 293.
However, Al Hasan's commendable performance was overshadowed when Muralitharan came to the fore to consolidate Sri Lanka's position.
The 36-year-old repeated his past successes against Bangladesh with his 66th five-wicket Test match haul.
But for Muralitharan, the hosts could have regained the initiative as Tamin Iqbal and Imrul Kayes put on a stubborn opening wicket stand of 44.
Muralitharan's first strike came when he got Iqbal caught at short-leg for 17.
The lethal left-arm spinner then bowled Junaid Siddique for 29 before Shakib was caught behind by Mahela Jaywardene for 26.
Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain fell to Muralitharan late in the day as the Sri Lanka bowler took his wicket total against Bangladesh up to 81.
Imrul Kayes hit 33, the highest score for Bangladesh, before edging Vaas' delivery into the arms of wicketkeeper Jaywardene as the hosts finished on 177-9.