Missed Chances Haunt Sri Lanka as Litton and Mushfiqur Take Charge in Galle

Sri Lanka were left ruing a string of missed half-chances as Bangladesh tightened their grip on the second Test morning in Galle, piling on 91 runs in the session and maintaining firm control. Though the hosts managed to break the monumental 264-run fourth-wicket stand between Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim early—Shanto falling for a brilliant 148 to Asitha Fernando—there was little relief as Litton Das stepped in with an enterprising 43* off 57 balls by lunch. Mushfiqur remained the steady anchor, moving to 141* in a composed, calculated knock that saw him rotate strike expertly and find boundaries when needed. The morning, however, belonged to Litton, who shook off a tentative start following his arrival and capitalized on Sri Lanka’s sloppiness in the field. A chaotic missed run-out opportunity before drinks, where both batters ended up at the striker’s end, highlighted Sri Lanka’s lack of awareness and execution. Soon after, two further chances went begging—Pathum Nissanka shelled a tough chance at midwicket and Prabath Jayasuriya failed to react to a sharp drive. Litton punished the lapses ruthlessly, striking consecutive boundaries followed by a six, shifting gears rapidly to swing the momentum back Bangladesh's way. With Milan Rathnayake leaving the field with a muscle issue, Sri Lanka’s bowling stocks took another hit, leaving them with fewer options to stem the flow. As the lunch break arrived, Bangladesh’s unbroken fifth-wicket stand between Litton and Mushfiqur had grown to 74 off 125 balls, consolidating a position of dominance and leaving Sri Lanka to ponder what might have been had they held their chances.

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