Dinesh Chandimal withdraws from 2nd Test against Bangladesh due to family medical emergency

Sri Lanka's senior batter Dinesh Chandimal has withdrawn from the ongoing second Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram due to a family medical emergency. The penultimate day of the Test began on Tuesday, April 2, with the Sri Lanka tail facing off against the Bangladeshi spinners and trying to extend their mammoth lead.

The exact details behind the emergency that forced Chandimal to leave the Test midway are yet to be disclosed. The batter played his part with the bat across both innings, and Sri Lanka can make use of a substitute fielder in his place for the rest of the contest during Bangladesh's second innings.

"Sri Lanka Cricket, his teammates, and the coaching staff fully support Dinesh Chandimal at this moment of need and request that the public respect his and his family’s privacy," a report from News Wire read.

Chandimal had contributed 59 runs in Sri Lanka's mammoth first innings total of 531, and was among the six batters to have crossed the 50-run mark. He was dismissed for nine runs in the second innings on Day 3 as Bangladesh fought back after conceding a huge lead.

Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin also had to withdraw from the third Test against England in Rajkot owing to similar circumstances. The veteran spinner traveled to Chennai following the end of the second day after his mother fell ill. However, he managed to return in time for the final innings of the contest as India executed a record win by 434 runs.

Sri Lanka aiming to stretch the lead and hope to seize the series in Chandimal's absence

Sri Lanka ended Day 3 on 102-6 with a lead of 455 runs and the duo of Prabath Jayasuriya and Angelo Matthews still at the crease. Bangladesh made an early breakthrough on Day 4 as the returning Shakib Al Hasan dismissed the fellow veteran all-rounder for 56 runs.

The visitors are currently placed at 142-7 in the first session of Day 4, extending the lead to 495 runs. They are heavy favorites to complete a whitewash in the series, having won the opener by a mammoth 328-run margin in Sylhet.

The ongoing Test will conclude Sri Lanka's all-format tour of Bangladesh. The white-ball leg was a highly competitive affair as Sri Lanka won the T20I series by a 2-1 margin while Bangladesh won the ODI series with a six-wicket victory in the series decider.