Tough Day for Bangladesh as Batters Falter Despite Promising Starts; End Day 1 at 220/8

It was a frustrating day for Bangladesh in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the SSC Ground in Colombo, as the visitors struggled to build on starts and ended Day 1 on 220 for 8 after 71 overs. Despite a few decent partnerships, no Bangladeshi batter managed to reach a half-century, and early top-order failures left the Tigers constantly playing catch-up.

Winning the toss for the second consecutive match, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto opted to bat first on what appeared to be a good batting surface. But the batters couldn’t back up the decision, as Bangladesh lost four wickets before reaching 100, once again exposing the fragility of the top order.

Opener Sadman Islam looked steady and was the closest to a fifty, but like his teammates, failed to convert his start. Mominul Haque, Anamul Haque Bijoy, and Shanto himself all fell cheaply, putting Bangladesh under early pressure.

Rain provided a temporary break, halting play for over two hours in the afternoon. When play resumed, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim rebuilt the innings with a promising 67-run stand, offering some hope for a comeback. But just before the tea break, Liton fell for 34 off 56 balls — becoming debutant Sunal Dinusha's maiden Test wicket.

Mushfiqur Rahim departed shortly after tea, scoring 35, and Dinusha struck again to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 31, ending another potentially valuable partnership. At 197/7, Bangladesh were in danger of collapsing completely, but lower-order resistance from Nayeem Hasan (25) and a cautious stand from Taijul Islam and Ebadot Hossain helped avoid further damage late in the day.

At stumps, Bangladesh stood at 220 for 8. Taijul remained unbeaten on 9 off 24 balls, with Ebadot not out on 5. The visitors will hope to add some valuable runs on the second morning before taking the ball in hand.