DHAKA, May 23 (ABC): Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis has been hospitalised after complaining of chest pain during the second away Test against Bangladesh on Monday, 23 May.
Minutes before lunch on Day 1, the 27-year-old Mendis bent down on the ground to pick up the ball. What seemed like a niggle at that point, Mendis laid down and soon after held his chest. The physio was called to the ground and after some checkup he made a cross sign with his arms stating that Mendis was not fit to continue.
The Sri Lanka physio initially asked for the stretcher to carry Mendis out of the field, but changed the plan after the batter signalled that he would walk off. Mendis held his chest throughout and did not take the field after lunch.
Before the incident occured in the pitch during the 23rd over of the game, Sri Lanka were on a dream run, picking up five wickets inside the first 10 overs of the game. The second Test match wicket behaved rather differently than the first Test match. The fast bowlers found a hint of swing in the early overs and the piled up the pressure on hosts Bangaldesh. The hosts scored three ducks in their top six batters and were left reeling at 24/5.
Last match’s heroes, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das combined once again to put their individual fifties and rescue the hosts from a precarious position. At the time of writing, Bangladesh are 143/5 in 47 overs.