The first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka fizzled out into a damp draw on Saturday, with rain robbing the match in Galle of a proper climax.
Sri Lanka were set a tall order of 296 in 37 overs and were tottering at 72-4 when stumps were drawn 9.5 overs into the final hour, with both captains shaking hands and accepting no result was possible. The day belonged to Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored centuries in both innings.
Shanto made an unbeaten 125 in the second innings after posting 148 in his first dig. It was the second time he had achieved the feat, scoring two centuries in a match against Afghanistan in 2023.
However, questions will linger over his captaincy. In pursuit of his landmark, Shanto might have taken his eye off the larger prize.
Bangladesh were 247 runs ahead when play resumed after a rain delay and, with 50 overs still to be bowled on the day, an earlier declaration could have forced a result. Instead, Bangladesh batted on for 12 more overs and, with the the innings break taken into account, more than an hour of potentially valuable time was lost on a wearing fifth-day pitch. The delay gave Sri Lanka some hope but their top order crumbled under pressure. Lahiru Udara was stumped off a cleverly flighted delivery by Taijul Islam, while Pathum Nissanka gifted his wicket to Nayeem Hasan by spooning one straight to short mid-wicket.
Taijul struck two crucial blows, removing the experienced Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession, but time ran out for Bangladesh.
Mathews, playing his 119th and final Test, walked off to a standing ovation as the crowd rose for one of Sri Lanka’s greats. There was a silver lining for Sri Lanka in the form of debutant Tharindu Rathnayake.
A six-wicket haul from two innings on debut was praiseworthy enough but Rathnayake also showcased his rare ambidextrous skills. He dismissed Mominul Haque with off-spin, then switched to left-arm orthodox to account for Litton Das and Jaker Ali. He also pulled off a sensational run out, firing a direct hit from mid-on to catch Mushfiqur Rahim short of his ground on 49. The second Test will be played in Colombo next week.
Brief scores: Bangladesh first innings: 495 all out (Mushfiqur Rahim 163, Najmul Hossain Shanto 148, Litton Das 90; Asitha Fernando 4-86)
Sri Lanka first innings: 485 all out (Pathum Nissanka 187, Kamindu Mendis 87, Dinesh Chandimal 54; Nayeem Hasan 5-121)
Bangladesh second innings: 285 for six declared (Najmul Hossain Shanto 125 not out, Shadman Islam 76; Tharindu Rathnayake 3-102)
Sri Lanka second innings: 72 for four (Pathum Nissanka 24; Taijul Islam 3-23).