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Sri Lanka remove Bangladesh's top order

Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga in action during the first day of the third Test match against Bangladesh in Kandy, Sri Lanka, yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Sri Lanka began their bid to sweep the Test series against Bangladesh with quick wickets on a rain-affected first day of the third and final Test in Kandy yesterday.

Just 29 overs were bowled during the day in which Bangladesh, sent in to bat for the third successive time in the series, groped to 72-4 in dark, gloomy conditions at the Asgiriya stadium.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took 2-10 in nine overs, taking his career tally to 690 wickets and just 18 away from equalling retired Australian spinner Shane Warne's world record haul of 708.

Muralitharan, 35, aims to overtake Warne when Sri Lanka tour Australia for two Test matches in November.

The seasonal monsoon rains had not interfered with the first two Tests in Colombo, allowing Sri Lanka to win both matches by innings margins to take a decisive 2-0 lead in the series.

But inclement weather caught up with the cricket in the popular hill resort of Kandy as only 12 overs were bowled in the morning session, 5.4 overs in the post-lunch period and 11.2 overs after tea.

That, however, was enough for the Sri Lankan bowlers to run through the Bangladeshi top order with the wickets of Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar, Rajin Saleh and Shahriar Nafees.

When bad light ended play, captain Mohammad Ashraful was on four and Tushar Imran was on six.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene won his third consecutive toss in the series and did not hesitate to ask Bangladesh to take first strike once again.

Bangladesh fared better than in previous Tests in overcast conditions despite losing Omar in the third over, trapped leg before wicket by quick Lasith Malinga for eight.

Nafees and Bashar put on 40 for the second wicket between the rain breaks when seamer Farveez Maharoof forced Bashar to glove a catch to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene after lunch.

When play resumed after tea, Muralitharan struck twice in quick succession to reduce Bangladesh to 64-4.

Rajin Saleh, who faced 29 balls without scoring, edged a straight ball to Mahela Jayawardene in the slips.

Left-handed Nafees looked comfortable while making 29 when he hit out against the wily Muralitharan and offered a tame catch to Sujeewa De Silva at mid-off.
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