Following their impressive 320-run victory in the first Test, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. The top order got off to a strong start, with Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne forming an 88-run partnership in the opening session.
This was followed by a solid 104-run stand for the second wicket between Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis. However, amidst this significant partnership, Bangladesh, eager for breakthroughs, made a peculiar review decision that attracted considerable attention.
In the 44th over’s fifth delivery, Taijul Islam bowled a fuller delivery aimed at the stumps. Kusal Mendis moved forward to block it defensively.
Despite appearing to have made contact with the bat, the Bangladesh team seemed uncertain, prompting captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to call for a review. Upon review, the big screen revealed that the ball had indeed struck the middle of the bat, with the pad nowhere near it.
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Consequently, Bangladesh lost their review. Given the pace of the ball and the absence of any possibility of an inside edge, observers on Twitter were left puzzled by Shanto and his team’s decision to review the incident.