GALLE, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Spinners Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera shared six wickets between them to help Sri Lanka take command of the first Test against a struggling Bangladesh on a rain-hit day three in Galle yesterday.

The visitors, replying to Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 494, were all out for 312 on the third day, trailing the hosts by a massive 182 runs.

Herath took the final wicket just two balls into the last session before rain stopped play, finishing on 3-72. Off-break bowler Perera chipped in with 3-53.

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim made a dogged half-century and shared 106 runs for the seventh wicket with Mehedi Hasan, ensuring the visitors avoided the follow-on.

Herath bowled his Bangladesh counterpart Mushfiqur on the stroke of the tea break for 85 after the latter took their score past the 300 mark.

Perera broke Mushfiqur’s stubborn partnership with Mehedi when he trapped the young all-rounder plumb leg before for 41 runs.

The spinner also took the wicket of Taskin Ahmed off the next ball with a successful review after his appeal for lbw was turned down by umpire Marais Erasmus.

Mushfiqur and Mehedi’s efforts came after Bangladesh lost four wickets in the opening session that had threatened to derail their innings completely.