THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 SPORTS Late wickets give S Lanka edge over Bangladesh GALLE: Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar and spinner Mehedi Hasan as the right-hander Tamim Iqbal shared a century opening attempted an audacious six. stand before Sri Lanka took two late wick- ets to tighten their grip on the first Test at WONDER CATCH Galle yesterday. Tamim ran backwards to take the catch, The visitors were 133-2 at stumps on the lobbing the ball back into the field as his second day and trailing by 361, after Kusal feet crossed the boundary ropes and then Mendis (194), Niroshan Dickwella (75) and pouching it again. Dilruwan Perera (51) had swelled the hosts’ Mendis struck 19 fours and four sixes in total to 494. his seven-and-a-half-hour stay at the Soumya was leading the response for crease. The 22-year-old, who was unbeaten Bangladesh with an unbeaten 66 after his on 166 overnight, was earlier granted a 118-run opening stand ended with a reprieve by a no-ball on the first delivery he bizarre run-out for his partner, Tamim, who faced. He was also almost dismissed when made 57 off 112 balls with six fours. he struck his first six of the morning, as Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Mustafizur Rahman took a catch off the Dickwella had appealed for a caught bowling of Subashis Roy but stepped on behind off Lakshan Sandakan and dis- the rope on the fine leg boundary. lodged the bails quickly once his appeal “I wanted to hit a six and be positive. It’s was turned down as Tamim walked out of a batting pitch,” Mendis said after the day’s the crease. Bangladesh coach Chandika play. “It keeps low and I just wanted to play Hathurusinghe, echoing Australia’s Steven straight or use the sweep. “I felt really bad Smith on another occasion, said Tamim when I edged first ball, but... it was a no- appeared to have had “a brain fade”. “He ball and that was nice,” he said. hasn’t spoken to me yet but... (we were) Spinner Mehedi ended with four wickets very disappointed because we were cruis- for 113 runs. Apart from Mendis, he dis- ing at that time,” he told reporters. missed Dickwella when the wicketkeeper- Perera then had number three Mominul batsman gave a catch to Mahmudullah at Haque plumb lbw for seven to give Sri midwicket after making 75 off 76 balls. Lanka the edge in the contest at the Galle Dickwella, who hit six fours and a six in International Stadium. his quick-fire innings, put on 110 with Both Soumya and Tamim benefited from Mendis for the fifth wicket off just 124 balls. sloppy Sri Lankan fielding. Perera dropped Mustafizur then removed Rangana Soumya on four at gully and Dickwella Herath for 14 and Suranga Lakmal was run missed a catch off Tamim on 28. out for eight to give Bangladesh some Earlier, Mendis was agonisingly denied a respite. Mehedi trapped Perera leg-before DUNEDIN: South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, right, runs to make his ground as New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner watches as the ball is thrown at the maiden double century as he tried to reach on 51 before taking a stunning catch off stumps during the first cricket Test at University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand, yesterday. —AP his milestone in style. Tamim caught him Shakib Al Hasan to send last man Sandakan on the long-on boundary off teenage off- packing.— AFP CRICKET SCOREBOARD Elgar grinds out ‘tougher’ GALLE, Sri Lanka: Scores at stumps on the second day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Galle International Stadium yesterday. Sri Lanka 1st innings (321-4 overnight) Bowling: Mustafizur 25-5-68-2 (nb1), Taskin 21-3- D. Karunaratne b Mehedi 30 77-1(nb2, w2), Roy 24-4-103-1 (nb2, w1)), Mehedi day to rescue South Africa U. Tharanga b Roy 4 22-1-113-4, Shakib 32.1-5-100-1, Soumya 3-0-9-0 K. Mendis c Tamim b Mehedi 194 (w1), Mahmudullah 2-0-10-0. D. Chandimal c Mehedi b Mustafizur 5 DUNEDIN: Century maker Dean Elgar A. Gunaratne b Taskin 85 Bangladesh 1st innings described the opening day of the first Test SCOREBOARD N. Dickwella c Mahmudullah b Mehedi 75 Tamim Iqbal run out 57 against New Zealand yesterday as one of the D. Perera lbw b Mehedi 51 Soumya Sarkar not out 66 DUNEDIN, New Zealand: Scoreboard at stumps on day one of the first Test between New Zealand and South Africa R. Herath c Soumya b Mustafizur 14 Mominul Haque lbw b Perera 7 toughest of his career after he rescued South at University Oval in Dunedin yesterday. S. Lakmal run out 8 Mushfiqur Rahim not out 1 Africa from a woeful start. L. Sandakan c Mehedi b Shakib 5 Extras (lb1, w1) 2 After batting throughout the day at South Africa 1st innings Extras:(b4, lb1, w1) 6 L. Kumara not out 0 Total (two wickets; 46 overs) 133 Dunedin’s University oval, the opener was S. Cook lbw Boult 3 Total: (4 wickets; 90 overs) 229 Extras (b4, lb10, w4, nb 5) 23 Fall of wickets: 1-118 (Tamim), 2-127 (Mominul) unbeaten on 128 with South Africa 229 for four D. Elgar not out 128 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Cook), 2-20 (Amla), 3-22 (Duminy), Total (all out; 129.1 overs) 494 To bat: Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, H. Amla b Wagner 1 4-148 (du Plessis) Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Tharanga), 2-60 Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, at stumps. His unbeaten 81-run stand for the J. Duminy c Taylor b Wagner 1 (Karunaratne), 3-92 (Chandimal), 4-288 Subashis Roy. fifth wicket with Temba Bavuma (not out 38) F. du Plessis c Boult b Neesham 52 Bowling: Boult 22-10-44-1 (1w), Wagner 20-4-59-2, Patel (Gunaratne), 5-398 (Mendis), 6-432 (Dickwella), 7- Bowling: S. Lakmal 5-0-15-0, L. Kumara 7-0-38-0 put South Africa in a position of relative T. Bavuma not out 38 24-9-60-0, Santner 18-5-32-0, Neesham 6-2-29-1. 457 (Herath), 8-480 (Lakmal), 9-494 (Perera), 10- (w1), D. Perera 13-3-32-1, R. Herath 11-01-30-0, L. strength after losing three quick wickets in the 494 (Sandakan). Sandakan 10-5-17-0. morning session. “It was one of the tougher days of Test crick- et so far in my career,” said the 29-year-old left- hander who was dropped by wicketkeeper BJ Australia defend Smith Watling on 36 before going on to complete his seventh Test century. “I nicked it and BJ dropped it and happy days. I’m sitting with a as ‘cheat’ row escalates smile on my face at the end of day one. “We were looking at (a total of) about 250- BANGALORE: Australia’s and India’s cricket 280 at tea time and now, being in a good posi- boards sprang to the defence of their respec- tion of not losing a wicket in the last session, tive captains yesterday amid a spiralling war we can re-adjust. I think maybe 450 on that of words that soured the aftermath of the wicket.” dramatic second Test. Elgar, who went into the match with an aver- India’s 75-run victory on Tuesday in age of 38.60 from 50 Test innings, said he had Bangalore, after Australia crashed to 112 all to rely on his stubbornness at the crease to get out, has left the four-match series between through the day. the world’s top two sides tantalisingly poised “I’m not very talented and free-scoring like at 1-1. But yesterday’s headlines were domi- others guys are, so you’ve got to use your nated by Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s accusa- advantages and that’s obviously my ability to tion that Steve Smith abused the decision GALLE: Sri Lankan cricketers unsuccessfully appeal for a Leg Before Wicket (LBW) guts it out and grind it,” he said. review system (DRS), after he was seen look- decision against Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar (C) during the second day of Elgar admitted to being surprised New ing to the Australian dressing-room while the opening Test cricket match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at The Galle Zealand had dropped “their trump card” in considering appealing against his dismissal International Cricket Stadium in Galle yesterday. — AFP strike bowler Tim Southee to make room for an for lbw. The rules forbid players to consult extra spinner. It was a decision which New with anyone off the pitch about whether to Zealand coach Mike Hesson said was not taken seek a review from the umpires, particularly lightly but with the state of the wicket he was as support staff have access to television Foreign players hail hoping to have batted first and have two spin- replays in the dressing-room. At the post-match press conference, ners available in the fourth innings. “I think NEW DELHI: Australian former cricket cap- Smith-who was quickly waved off the field South Africa’s slightly ahead. Four down in a tain Steve Waugh speaks at a press confer- by the umpire-admitted he had been at Pakistan security day’s Test cricket is a pretty good effort,” he said. ence in New Delhi yesterday. Waugh said fault, but put it down to a one-off “brain- “When you play two spinners you obviously embattled Australian skipper Steve Smith fade”.