Mushfiqur Rahim’s 14th Test century headlined Bangladesh’s dominance on the third day of the Sylhet Test. His knock and fifties from Litton Das and Mahmudul Hasan Joy helped Bangladesh set a target of 437.

Pakistan batted two overs before the umpires called off play due to bad light. The openers Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais didn’t open their accounts as both Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam tested them in their respective overs.

The story of the day, however, was Mushfiqur’s 233-ball stay, adding 123 with Litton for the fifth wicket, and 77 runs for the seventh wicket with Taijul Islam. Mushfiqur struck twelve fours and one six during his knock, which was his third century in the second innings of a Test match, coming at a tricky period for Bangladesh when they had to bat well to keep themselves ahead of the game.

He followed his usual formula of getting set by playing the ball close to his body, before finding boundaries around the wicket. Cover drives, square-cuts and slog-sweeps were accompanied by hard hits down the ground and the pulls through midwicket.

Mushfiqur’s innings finally ended with roughly 35 minutes left on the third day; he was the last Bangladesh wicket to fall, in the 103rd over.

Pakistan’s best period on the third day was the first 45 minutes. Shahzad troubled captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, before trapping him lbw for 15. Litton, fresh off his first-innings century, was free-flowing even in seaming conditions. He gave Bangladesh a bit of breathing room with a few boundaries in the first session.

Litton was lucky too, surviving an easy run out when Babar Azam couldn’t hit the stumps from short midwicket. On 38 at the time, he was stranded halfway down the crease after a mix-up with Mushfiqur. Offspinner Sajid Khan also dropped Litton when he was on 56, off his own bowling. Litton continued to time the ball quite easily, until his upper-cut reached Saud Shakeel at fly-slip off Hasan Ali. He made 69 with five fours, off 92 balls.

Litton now has three occasions of a hundred and fifty in a Test, the most by a Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter. Later, Taijul contributed with 22 off 51 balls, with two fours, both stylishly struck, as he supported Mushfiqur during their seventh-wicket partnership. Mehidy Hasan Miraz fell to a beauty from Shahzad, but otherwise, Bangladesh kept things in their control on the third day.

Brief scores:
Pakistan 232 and 0 for 0 (Abdullah Fazal 0*, AzanAwais 0*) need 437 runs to win vs  Bangladesh 278 and 390 (Mahmudul Hassan Joy 52, Mushfiqur Rahim 137, Litton Das 69; Khurram  Shahzad 4-86, Sajid Khan 3-126)

[Cricinfo]

Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning team returned home on Monday, although for many of the players Colombo was not the final destination. While most boarded flights to BIA, a few headed off to Melbourne and London, while others decided to extend their stay in the Land of the Malays for a short holiday.

It was a trip soaked in nostalgia as the players rolled back the years and transported fans to that magical March night three decades ago when they pulled off one of the greatest upsets the game has ever seen.

The Malaysians turned on the charm with warm hospitality throughout the celebrations. In a country where badminton and football are followed almost like religions, cricket too got its little window in the spotlight. Malaysia’s national team is currently coached by none other than Dav Whatmore, one of the the architects behind Sri Lanka’s fairy-tale triumph in 1996.

Whatmore and team physiotherapist Alex Kontouris, the two support staff members from that historic campaign, were present for the reunion. Watching a 72-year-old Whatmore fielding at mid-off just to make up the numbers during the exhibition game was one of the enduring images of the weekend.

Whatmore also proved a major attraction during coaching sessions conducted for Malaysian youngsters alongside the Sri Lankan players. He shared finer technical points of the game with the kids while, with the older players, he spoke passionately about the mental side of cricket. Listening to him was a masterclass in itself.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly Aravinda de Silva.

He may not have held a bat seriously for years, but once he walked in at his customary number four position during the exhibition match, time seemed to stand still. Suddenly, memories came flooding back and there was fresh proof that genius never fades.

One cover drive pierced the gap to the left of extra cover and the very next ball sped through the right side of the same fielder, leaving the poor man wondering where exactly he ought to stand. There were trademark cuts and pulls aplenty, but the shot everyone kept talking about was the reverse sweep.

Aravinda never played the reverse sweep during his international career. Yet, with the stroke now a staple of modern T20 cricket, he unfurled one neatly to the boundary as if he had been playing it all his life. It was vintage class mixed with modern innovation, further proof that truly gifted players can adapt to any era.

Everyone present, from Roshan Mahanama to Asanka Gurusinha, went home convinced once again that Aravinda was a once in a generation cricketer. Arjuna Ranatunga perhaps summed it up best when he remarked that a player of Aravinda’s calibre comes along only once in 50 years.

The reunion itself was a wonderful opportunity for the champions to relive the glory days. Sri Lankan fans living in Malaysia turned up in large numbers to catch a glimpse of their heroes, while the locals too embraced the occasion wholeheartedly.

The felicitation ceremony at the historic Royal Selangor Club was packed to capacity with guests eager to rub shoulders with some of the finest cricketers the game has produced.

The organisers smartly ensured that the players were spread across different tables, mingling freely with supporters, creating unforgettable moments for fans who grew up idolising them.

David Cruse, a Sri Lankan-born entrepreneur and cricket enthusiast based in Melbourne, played a pivotal role in putting the event together. He received excellent support from Devindran Ramanadan and Alex de Silva in Kuala Lumpur, who handled much of the logistics. Back in Colombo, Aravinda and Mahanama did much of the heavy lifting alongside Gurusinha, now settled in Melbourne.

Rex Clementine
in Kuala Lumpur

The Sri Lanka-India Test series will be played in the second half of August. The exact dates for the two Tests have not yet been finalised, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has identified a two-week window for the matches, which are part of the current ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

‎Sources within Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have revealed to Cricbuzz that the matches will be played between August 15 and 27. There is, however, no confirmation yet on the three Twenty20 Internationals that were supposed to be added to the tour.

‎The two Tests follow the Lanka Premier League (LPL), which concludes on August 9 and the information about the identified window has been shared with all the stakeholders involved with the series, including the Indian team.

‎BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has travelled to Sri Lanka as part of an International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation to assess the situation in Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), which was recently dissolved by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The government has since appointed an interim body, the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee.

‎There is a possibility that the Transformation Committee members may take up the proposed series with Saikia during his visit but identifying a window for the three games – originally proposed as a fundraiser for last November’s Cyclone Ditwah victims – could be a challenge because September will be a busy month for the Indian team(s).

‎A six-match white-ball series in Bangladesh – comprising three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals – has been planned for September. The proposed tour of Bangladesh, should it at all take place, could complicate matters for those involved in drawing schedules. Saikia refused to comment on whether the Bangladesh series would go ahead, suggesting during a recent media interaction that the focus should remain on the immediate fixtures.

‎The tour of Bangladesh is a carry-forward of last year’s postponed series, which was deferred because of tensions between the two countries. With the diplomatic frost between India and Bangladesh seemingly beginning to melt, it remains a matter of conjecture whether the series will eventually go ahead. (Cricbuzz)