Bangladesh’s first-innings centurions stitched together once again and took the lead up to 187 after Nayeem Hasan’s second Test fifer denied the hosts taking the lead on day four of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium.
It wasn’t the greatest of starts for Sri Lanka on the fourth morning as they lost two quick wickets within the first 7 overs. In just the third over of the day, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva was caught down the leg side off a sharp turner from Nayeem Hasan after making 19. Soon after, wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis tried to flick a leg-side delivery from Hasan Mahmud but was brilliantly caught by Litton Das, leaving Sri Lanka at 386/6 — still trailing by more than 100 runs.
Overnight batter Kamindu Mendis was then joined by Milan Rathnayake, and the pair patiently looked to revive the innings. In the process, Mendis brought up his fifth Test half-century. The two left-handers safely saw through to lunch while sharing a growing half-century stand for the seventh wicket.
However, the 84-run partnership was broken just 2.3 overs into the second session. After making a valuable 39, Milan Rathnayake dragged one onto his stumps off the bowling of Hasan Mahmud. From 470/6, Sri Lanka suddenly slumped to 471/9, with the well-set Kamindu Mendis also dismissed for a solid 87.
The last-wicket stand didn’t last long as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 485, falling 10 runs short of Bangladesh’s first innings total. Nayeem Hasan bowled superbly, claiming his second five-wicket haul in Tests — both coming against Sri Lanka. Hasan Mahmud also impressed, finishing with three wickets.
Then, Shadman Islam and Anamul Haque opened the batting for Bangladesh, but the latter failed to make any significant contribution once again, as Prabath Jayasuriya picked up his first wicket of the match. The second-wicket partnership added 36 runs before Tharindu Rathnayake dismissed Mominul Haque for the second time in the match, leaving Bangladesh at 60 for 2.
Shadman, on the other hand, went on to score his sixth fifty in red-ball cricket. He shared a 68-run stand with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto before being trapped LBW by Milan Rathnayake for 76. Bangladesh’s first-innings heroes — Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim — then joined forces in the middle and batted till stumps, with their partnership nearing fifty. At the close of play, Bangladesh were 177 for 3, and given the nature of the pitch, the match appeared to be heading towards a draw.
