Bangladesh declared their second innings at 285-6, setting Sri Lanka a target of 296 for victory in the first Test at Galle International Cricket Stadium today.
Sri Lanka were left with a session and a half to attempt the chase on a pitch that still offered little assistance on the final day. The declaration followed a brilliant performance from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who added an unbeaten 125 to his first innings score of 148. This marked the second instance of him scoring centuries in both innings of a Test, having previously achieved the feat against Afghanistan in 2023. With this, Shanto became only the 14th batter in world cricket history to score centuries in both innings of a Test more than once.
Bangladesh resumed the day at 177-4 with a 187-run lead, as Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim adopted a cautious approach, showing little urgency to press for a win. Rain interrupted play for nearly an hour. Before the rain delay, Mushfiqur Rahim was run out for 49 while attempting a quick single.
After play resumed, Shanto switched gears and began attacking the Sri Lankan bowlers, though Liton Das and Jaker Ali Anik departed for single-digit scores. Shanto brought up his seventh Test century off 190 balls with a reverse sweep past point for a single against Tharindu Rathnayake. With that, he also became the 16th captain to score two hundreds in a single Galle Test.
Following his milestone, Shanto launched an aggressive assault, hitting Rathnayake for three consecutive sixes to push the lead close to 300. He finished unbeaten on 125 off 199 deliveries, hitting nine fours and three sixes.
With 296 as the target, the Sri Lankan openers fell prey to the spin-duo of Bangladesh, as Taijul Islam removed Lahiru Udara and Nayeem Islam removed Pathum Nissanka. When Angelo Mathews came out to bat, it was already to go for a win from the Sri Lankan point of view. Taijul removed Mathews with a quality armer that didn’t turn which Mathews didn’t pick, and ended up inside-edging it. Taijul did try with all his abilities – flight, turn and the arm ball, but on 72/4, the captains agreed for a draw.
It was a rather defensive display from both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and both teams ended up starting the new World Test Championship cycle with a draw.