Niroshan Dickwella (64*) and Ramesh Mendis (22*) launched a rearguard after Sri Lanka lost a flurry of wickets in quick succession to ensure that their team did not concede the early advantage. Intermittent rain and bad light then stopped proceedings on Day 2. The pair has already added 87 runs for the seventh wicket to guide Sri Lanka to 469/6 in the second Test match against Bangladesh, at Kandy.
Earlier in the day, Oshada Fernando and Lahiru Thirimanne struggled to get going as the Bangladesh bowlers bowled to a probing line. They could only add 18 runs in the first hour of the play.
Taskin Ahmed provided the tourists with the first breakthrough when Lahiru Thirimanne glanced a shortish delivery to Liton Das. Thirimanne could only add nine runs on Day 2.
Taskin and Liton combined once again to send Angelo Mathews back to the pavilion. Mathews would have got dismissed much earlier, after edging one to the close fielders, but none of them could spot it.
Bangladesh got the third wicket of the day when Dhananjaya de Silva holed out an easy catch to Nazmul Hossain Shanto at second slip off Taijul Islam. Sri Lanka added just 43 runs in the first session and lost three wickets.
Oshada Fernando (81) and Pathum Nissanka (30) tried to arrest the collapse, added 55 runs and were looking set for more before Taskin struck again to break the partnership. Nissanka could not bring his bat in line and was undone by a back-of-a-length ball that stayed low. Oshada was caught behind three balls later. The score read 382/6.
But then Dickwella and Mendis held the fort and added 87 runs at a brisk pace to put the visitors back under the pump.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 469/6 (Lahiru Thirimanne 140, Dimuth Karunaratne 118; Taskin Ahmed 3-119) vs Bangladesh.