Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Draw First Test in Galle After Intense Final Session

Final Day Drama in Galle Test

Galle [Sri Lanka], June 21: The first Test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh concluded in a draw after Sri Lanka managed to bat through 32 overs in the final session of Day 5. Despite the draw, the match had its moments of tension as Sri Lanka lost four wickets before Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis secured the draw.

With five overs remaining in the day, the teams shook hands, having witnessed Dhananjaya and Kamindu face 53 balls together in their partnership.

Chasing a target of 296 runs, Sri Lanka faced a setback when they lost both Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession, both falling to the impressive Taijul Islam, who finished with figures of 3 for 23.

Despite the efforts of Taijul and Nayeem Hasan, it became evident that Bangladesh would not claim the remaining six wickets before the 37 overs were completed.

After lunch, Bangladesh batted for 11 overs, adding 48 runs and setting Sri Lanka a challenging target of 296 runs in 37 overs, requiring a rate of eight runs per over for a potential victory.

While the 37 overs could have been extended, Bangladesh's primary aim after the rain delay appeared to be allowing Najmul Hossain Shanto to reach his second century of the match. This achievement marked the third occasion of a Bangladeshi player scoring two centuries in a single Test, with Shanto becoming the second player to do so, joining a select group of 15 batters.

It took Shanto 50 balls after the resumption to achieve this milestone, during which Bangladesh managed only 19 runs and lost Litton Das and Jaker Ali to the increasing turn of the pitch and some frustration with their defensive batting.

However, in the next 17 balls, Bangladesh scored 29 runs, including three sixes from Shanto off the spinners.

Earlier in the match, Bangladesh concluded their first innings at 495, with both Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim scoring centuries. Asitha Fernando was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka, taking four wickets.

Sri Lanka's first innings total was 485, leaving them just 10 runs short. Pathum Nissanka delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 187 runs off 256 balls, while Nayeem Hasan claimed five wickets to dismiss Sri Lanka.

Shanto was named the man of the match for his impressive centuries in both innings.

Brief score: Sri Lanka 485 and 72/4 (Pathum Nissanka 24, Dhananjaya de Silva 12; Taijul Islam 3/23) vs Bangladesh 495 & 285/6d (Najmul Hossain Shanto 125*, Shadman Islam 76; Tharindu Rathnayake 3/102).