Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took six wickets to help bowl out Bangladesh for 131 on a rain-hit second day of the third and final Test on Thursday.

Sri Lanka, leading the series 2-0 after big victories in Colombo, then closed the day on 30 without loss after most of the afternoon was washed out. Michael Vandort closed on 25 with Upul Tharanga, playing his first game of the series after injuring his foot, on four not out.

Muralitharan, playing in his home town, was the chief threat, finishing with figures of six for 28 from 14.5 overs, his 59th five-wicket haul in his 113th Test.

He took his career tally to 694 wickets, just 14 short of Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's world record of 708.

Bangladesh started promisingly with skipper Mohammad Ashraful (26) and Tushar Imran (17) extending their fifth-wicket stand to 34.

Left-armer Sujeewa de Silva broke through when Mahela Jayawardene held a straightforward slip catch off a loose drive from Imran.

That was soon followed by the dismissal of Ashraful, caught behind off De Silva, and the last six wickets tumbled for just 33 runs in 13.3 overs.

Muralitharan then struck with a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Mashrafe Mortaza.

Muralitharan claimed another caught and bowled when Mohammad Rafique top-edged a slog-sweep before Shahdat Hossain and Syed Rasel were snapped up at bat-pad.

Score board

BANGLADESH (I Innings, O/n: 72/4):
Omar lbw Malinga 8
Nafees c De Silva b M’tharan 29
Bashar c P J’rdene b M’roof 18
Saleh c M J’wardene b M’tharan 0
Ashraful c P J’rdene b De Silva 26
Imran c M J’rdene b De Silva 17
Mushfiqur Rahim (not out) 11
Mortaza c & b Muralitharan 5
Rafique c & b Muralitharan 5
Hossain c Dilshan b M’tharan 0
Rasel c Silva b Muralitharan 0
Extras (B-4, LB-2, W-1, NB-5) 12
Total (all out, 48.5 overs) 131
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-50, 3-61, 4-64, 5-98, 6-111, 7-118, 8-130, 9-131.
Bowling: Malinga 10-2-41-1, De Silva 12-3-29-2, Farveez Maharoof 8-4-21-1, Muttiah Muralitharan 14.5-6-28-6, Dilshan 4-1-6-0.

SRI LANKA (I Innings):
Vandort (batting) 25
Tharanga (batting) 4
Extras (NB-1) 1     
Total (for no loss, 8.4 overs) 30
Bowling: Mortaza 3-0-12-0, Rasel 4-0-18-0, Hossain 1.4-1-0-0.