BANGLADESH batters continued their abysmal show to push the team to the brink of another defeat as they still needed 243 runs after the fourth day of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram on Tuesday with only three wickets in hand.
Every Bangladesh batter got starts but failed to convert them as only Mominul Haque hit a fifty, followed by an unbeaten 44 from Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the latter parts of the day to see them end the day on 267-7 at stumps chasing 511.
Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Kamindu Mendis picked up two聽 wickets each for the Lankans.
The visitors, who notched up 531 in their first innings, declared their second on 157-7, while Bangladesh were all out for 178 in their first.
Despite chasing a huge total, Bangladesh batters did not opt for caution, which charged them heavily as they lost their opening pair of Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan for 24 and 19 runs, respectively.
Prabath rattled Joy鈥檚 stumps after he was late playing a cut, while Vishwa Fernando got Zakir to edge behind.
Mominul and Najmul Hossain Shanto then attempted to drag Bangladesh out of trouble by adding 43 runs for the third wicket before Kumara knocked the latter over.
Mominul then carried on with Shakib Al Hasan and they looked to have taken a quite sensible approach as they kept the scoreboard ticking.
Mominul smashed Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva for back-to-back boundaries to reach his 18th Test fifty.
However, Mominul lost his cool shortly just before the tea break as he fell to Jayasuriya trying to sweep, leaving the Tigers at 132-4.
Liton Das finally found some runs in the series as he combined with Shakib for Bangladesh鈥檚 only fifty-plus stand before Shakib fell to Mendis, edging one to Nishan Madushka at gully off Kamindu Mendis鈥檚 bowling.
Soon after, Liton fell for 38 as he tried to pull a short delivery outside off stump and could only bottom edge it behind to the keeper.
Shahadat Hossain Dipu, who was dismissed for 18 and 0 in the first Test, couldn鈥檛 make use of another opportunity as he fell to Kamindu for 15.
Then, banking on Mehidy and Taijul鈥檚 25-run stand, Bangladesh avoided a defeat on the fourth day.
Earlier, resuming the day at 102-6, Sri Lanka pushed for quick runs in the morning session with veteran Angelo Mathews leading the charge. He scored 56 off 74 balls, hitting five fours and was the only Sri Lankan wicket to fall on the day as Shakib bowled him after he scored his 41st Test fifty.
