Even a batsman like Kumar Sangakkara was clueless about the Sakib al Hasan delivery that suddenly kept low and went past his bat through to the wicketkeeper when he was batting on just 34 in the second innings. It was just one example of how conditions could be deceptive even for a batsman trying to save his wicket on a wearing track where a spinner could be successful without doing anything extraordinary.
This is where the danger lies for the Bangladesh cricket team as they seek to avoid defeat in the second Test in Chittagong.
The Tigers have ten wickets intact going into the fifth day, which would normally make them favourites to achieve a draw; but not in this game, which has already seen one spinner from each side take five or more wickets in an innings.
Though there is little turn, the variable bounce in the pitch offers Sri Lanka some hope of sealing the series 2-0 with a win.
In a similar situation against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 2009, the Tigers dared to chase a world record target of 521 runs, only to settle for a 107-run defeat. The Tigers are fully aware of the situation and made their intentions clear; this time they will play only for a draw.
‘I don’t think it would be a wise decision to chase the target,’ batsman Imrul Kayes told reporters at the post-day briefing.
‘Chasing 450-plus target on this wicket is difficult because you all see the ball kept low. So we should play for the draw.’
Imrul firmly believes that the draw is easily achievable provided Bangladesh do not lose any wickets in the morning session on the fifth day. However, given the poor form of Tamim Iqbal and the impulsiveness of his new partner Shamsur Rahman, they also have a plan B.
‘On the fifth day, our plan will be going session by session. The first target is off course batting till the lunch break without any wicket. However, if we see one or two wickets going down, the strategy will be different,’ he said.
Imrul reckons off-spinner Dilruwan Perera is the biggest threat for Bangladesh even though he had just three wickets in the first innings. Ajantha Mendis finished with his career-best 6-99 compared to Perera’s 3-119, but Imrul said the former should not be very difficult to handle.
‘If you do not go for a big shot against Mendis, he can be easily handled,’ said Imrul.
‘But the other spinner lands the ball always in a particular area. Mendis may have taken six wickets, but if we play him in a planned way, I don’t think he will be very effective.’
Sri Lanka think they still have a chance to win if they can take at least two wickets in the first session as the wicket is in their favour.
‘The wicket has started to spin a bit, and not like the first innings,’ said batsman Kaushal Silva. ‘I think it will definitely be difficult for the Bangladesh batsmen. We have to be more patient and consistent on our line and length and set a field according to our bowlers – especially for our spinners.’
Silva defended the declaration, which came a little late as Sri Lanka left just eight overs to bowl on the fourth day.
‘We wanted to get at least 450 on the board and then we know that they are out of reach of our target and we can put pressure and attack more,’ he said.
‘It will be a good challenging score of us to defend.’
‘We bowled eight overs today and we’ve got 90 overs tomorrow. Depending on how quickly we bowl, we can bowl over 100 overs if we bowl quickly. I think it’s a good target for us to get them bowled out.’
-With New Age input
