It was almost a repeat of the Galle Test. Just when Sri Lanka seemed on the verge of taking a commanding first-innings lead, off-spinner Nayeem Hasan brought Bangladesh back into the game. On the batting-friendly pitch in Galle, the tall spinner made the most of the extra bounce and tight line and length to claim his maiden five-wicket haul abroad. In the third day of the second Test in Colombo, when Sri Lanka were eyeing a 300-run lead, the spin magic of Nayeem and Taijul Islam restricted them to a 211-run lead. Taijul picked up a five-wicket haul for the fifth time outside Bangladesh, as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 458. Bangladesh had earlier been dismissed for 247.
The pair of Nayeem and Taijul also played a key role with the bat to help Bangladesh near the 250-run mark. In an innings marked by the failure of the top-order batters, the duo contributed invaluable runs—25 from Nayeem and 33 from Taijul. Without their efforts, the scoreboard would’ve looked far less respectable. They then went on to shine with the ball as well. While the Colombo pitch had favored batters over the first two days, it began assisting spinners from the first session on day three. Resuming at 290 for 2, Sri Lanka lost four wickets in the morning session—two of which came from Taijul.
Pathum Nissanka, who had scored centuries in back-to-back Tests, began day three with hopes of another big innings. However, he stepped out to a turning full-length delivery from Taijul and ended up giving a catch to Bijoy at short cover. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva fell LBW to a beautiful arm ball. Tharindu Ratnayake was caught at long-on trying to loft Taijul, and the last wicket—Asitha Fernando—also went to the left-arm spinner, completing his five-wicket haul.
This marked Taijul’s 17th five-wicket haul in Tests, fifth outside Bangladesh (equaling Shakib Al Hasan), and second against Sri Lanka. His greatest strength—relentlessly bowling in the same spot—was on full display in Colombo. He bowled 42.5 overs in the innings, taking 5 wickets for 131 runs. His spell featured pace variations and clever use of the arm ball to keep the batters guessing.
Off-spinner Nayeem was equally effective. The previous day, he had dismissed Dinesh Chandimal just short of his century. On day three, he again displayed his skillset—especially against Kamindu Mendis. Nayeem troubled the left-hander with changes in pace and consistent accuracy, sometimes bowling quicker, sometimes tossing it up. Kamindu eventually missed the line of a quicker arm ball and was bowled. Debutant Sonal Dinusha also lost his stumps to a flighted delivery from Nayeem.