The pitch at Galle in the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test was initially unresponsive to bowlers. For the first three days, there was little for the spinners to work with, despite Galle being known as a spin-friendly venue. Typically, one would expect spin to come into play from the third day onwards, but in this Test, the wicket only started showing signs of wear on day four. It was then that the spinners, led by Nayeem Hasan, made their mark, with the 6-foot tall off-spinner weaving his magic.
With Sri Lanka seemingly set to take control of the match, Nayeem turned the tide with his performance. The extra bounce and turn, aided by his height, made life difficult for Sri Lanka’s lower order. Nayeem single-handedly cleaned up the tail, taking five wickets in the innings. It was his first time bowling in a Test abroad, and he marked the occasion with an outstanding performance. Although he had previously been part of a Test squad abroad, this was his first opportunity to bowl, having been sidelined by an injury in his earlier appearances.
His five-wicket haul was a dream debut performance in overseas conditions, and it was his fourth career five-wicket innings, with this being the second time he had achieved it against Sri Lanka. After taking his fifth wicket, Nayeem performed Sajda (a gesture of gratitude), surrounded by his teammates, and walked off the field with the match ball in hand, a symbol of his memorable achievement.
On day four, Sri Lanka went into the lunch break trailing Bangladesh by just 30 runs. However, the second session saw a dramatic shift. Nayeem removed the dangerous Kamindu Mendis, who was on his fifth fifty, with a brilliant delivery that caused Mendis to misjudge the bounce and offer a simple catch to Liton Das. In the same over, Nayeem delivered a classic off-spin ball, landing it on a good length with pace, which beat Tharindu Ratnayake’s bat and broke his stumps.
The final blow came when Nayeem bowled Asitha Fernando, who attempted a reverse sweep but was clean bowled instead. Nayeem’s first breakthrough in this innings was Dinesh Chandimal, marking an excellent overseas debut with the ball.
This was a day to remember for Nayeem, as he made his mark in international cricket, showing that even in unfamiliar conditions, he could prove his worth with skill and determination.