GALLE: Bangladesh reached 31 without loss at tea in reply to Sri Lanka's hefty first innings total of 494 on day two of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka missed a chance to make early inroads into the Bangladesh innings when Soumya Sarkar was dropped on 14 runs. Opening partner Tamim Iqbal made 17 heading into tea.
Earlier, rising star Kusal Mendis fell just short of a brilliant double century.
The 22-year-old Mendis made 194 and looked set to become the second youngest Sri Lankan to score a double ton after Mahela Jayawardene only to get himself out going for a six. Iqbal caught him at long-on, threw the ball in the air, regained his composure and came back to collect the catch cleanly.
It was test best score for Mendis, improving on the 176 he made against Australia last year. Mendis batted for more than seven hours and faced 285 deliveries in a fluent innings containing 19 boundaries and four sixes.
He had been dismissed off a no ball before he had scored a run, and then got a reprieve on 175 when he hooked Subashis Roy and Mustafizur Rahman at fine-leg took the catch, but stepped over the boundary rope.
Mendis added 110 runs for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, who scored 75, as Sri Lanka piled on the runs in the morning to reach 443 for six at lunch.
Dickwella also posted his test best score before becoming Mehedi Hasan's third victim when he mistimed a shot and was caught at short third man by Mahmudullah Riyad. His entertaining innings contained six boundaries and a six. It was his second half-century.
Bangladesh snared the last four wickets for 37 runs to keep Sri Lanka under 500, with nineteen-year-old off-spinner Hasan finishing with four wickets.
Asela Gunaratne (85) and Dilruwan Perera (51) also posted half-centuries for the home side.