Ashraful offers lone resistance

Sri Lanka crushed Bangladesh by an innings and 137 runs in their Asian Test Championship match on Saturday, but only after a century by debutant Mohammad Ashraful helped the visitors put up spirited resistance.

The 17-year-old Ashraful top-scored with a confident 114 before the visitors were finally bowled out for 328 to slip to their second successive innings defeat in the championship.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took five for 98 to finish with match figures of 10 for 111.

Ashraful shared in a defiant fifth-wicket stand of 127 with Aminul Islam after Bangladesh began the third day's play on 100 for four.

The pair batted virtually right through the morning session before Islam was removed for a workmanlike 56.

Islam, bowled around his legs on the stroke of lunch trying to sweep the slow left-arm of Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya, hit seven fours in 152 balls.

At the interval, Bangladesh still required a further 258 to make Sri Lanka bat a second time.

Skipper Naimur Rahman, who made 48, then shared with Ashraful in a sixth-wicket stand of 96 until Sri Lanka took the second new ball.

MORE COMPOSED

Ashraful was the more composed of the two batsmen, combining gritty defence with flashes of arrogance to reach his century in 188 minutes off 167 balls.

Rahman, who had hit nine fours in 71 balls, was then removed in the 95th over when he holed out to Marvan Atapattu off the pace bowling of Ruchira Perera.

Ashraful finally departed with the score on 308, hitting a return catch off Perera's slower ball to end a stay at the crease of more than four hours, 212 balls and 16 boundaries.

The tail folded quickly, though, as off-spinner Muralitharan came back into the attack and Perera finished with figures of three for 40.

When play resumed on Saturday, Bangladesh seemed set for complete humiliation after being dismissed for 90 in their first innings and then allowing Sri Lanka to rack up a mammoth 555 for five declared.

The ease with which Sri Lanka amassed their runs on the second day was underlined by the fact that two batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Atapattu, retired out after making 150 and 201 respectively.

This is the first time that one batsman, let alone two, has retired out in a Test match.

Bangladesh lost the opening match of the Asian Test Championship by an innings and 264 runs to Pakistan.

The championship is being contested by only three teams because the Indian government refused to allow their side to play Pakistan in Lahore.

Also read:
Ashraful is youngest Test centurion

Mail Cricket Editor