Sri Lanka batted out 32 overs in the final session and ensured that the first Test in Galle ended in a draw. But it wasn’t a result without minor jeopardy, as Sri Lanka lost four wickets on the way before Dhananjaya de Siva and Kamindu Mendis shut up shop for good.

The teams shook hands with five overs left to play in the day, with the pair having played out 53 balls in their partnership. But reflection later on might leave Bangladesh with the one hanging question – could they have declared sooner?

Dhananjaya and Kamindu had come together after Sri Lanka had lost both Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession, both to the excellent Taijul Islam who ended on figures of 3 for 23.

But despite Taijul and Naveen Hassan’s best efforts, it was clear the remaining six wickets would not fall before the 37 overs were up. But what if Bangladesh had a further 13 overs to play?

Valid question, but one we may never get an answer to. As things panned out, Bangladesh added 48 runs in 11 overs in the post-lunch session after a roughly two-and-a-half hour rain interruption. Sri Lanka were set a target of 296 off 37 overs – at a required rate of eight an over – if they wanted to steal an unlikely win.

Those 37 overs might have been more, but the primary goal of Bangladesh continuing to bat after the rain break seemed to be for Najmul Hossain Shanto getting to his second century of the game – it was the third instance of a Bangladeshi batter scoring two centuries in the same Test, and the second time Shanto had accomplished the feat.

It took 50 deliveries after the restart for Shanto to get to the milestone, during which Bangladesh had scored just 19 runs and lost the wickets of Litton Das and Jaker Ali – both succumbing to the growing turn on offer, and frustration with defensive lines down leg. In the next 16 balls though, Bangladesh ransacked 28 – including a trio of sixes from Shanto down the ground off the spinners.

That those runs had come as the pitch had begun to take some pretty extravagant turn, likely down to the moisture trapped under the covers, made them even more impressive. But it also served to bring into a more critical light the pace at which Bangladesh had proceeded at the start of the day.

In the hour and a bit in the morning session before the rains came, Bangladesh had seemed content to plod along at a session run rate of just 3.15. Conventional wisdom would have indicated the need for a minimum of two sessions to bowl Sri Lanka out, and with Bangladesh no doubt wanting a lead in excess of 300 – a run rate of five or more seemed to be the call of the day. But with Sri Lanka also happy to set defensive fields, Bangladesh – who have a had a very lean period in Tests as of late – had no desire to put valuable World Test Championship points at risk.

In hindsight, maybe even with a lead of 247 – which is what they had by the break – the early declaration might have still been the correct option. There were 50 overs in total to play at that point, and there’s little doubt Bangladesh would have liked every one of those available to them by the end of play.

Taijul and Nayeem certainly would have, with both utilising the now stricken Galle surface much better than their Lankan counterparts. Taijul in particular was proving a handful, threatening both edges – as highlighted by the wickets of Mathews and Chandimal. The former was caught bat-pad following an arm-ball that took the inside edge and popped up to silly point; the latter had one rip past his forward defence and peg off stump.

Earlier he had seen Lahiru Udara advancing and dragged one shorter to zip it past the edge and have him stumped. Nayeem, meanwhile, had Nissanka playing early to one, and chipping it to short midwicket.

There’s no way to say for sure how exactly the game would have panned out if the declaration had come sooner, but Taijul and Nayeem, more than most, would have loved to have found out.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 485 (Pathum Nissanka 187, Kamindu Mendis 87, Nayeem Hassan 5-121, Hasan Mahmud 3-74) and 72 for 4 (Pathum Nissanka 24, Taijul 3-23, Nayeem Hassan 1-29) drew with Bangladesh 495 (Mushfiqur 163, Najmul Hossain Shanto 148, Litton Das 90, Asitha Fernando 4-86, Milan  Rathnayake 3-39) and 285 for 6 decl (Najmul Hossain Shanto 125*, Shadman Islam 76, Mushfiqur Rahim 49, Tharindu  Rathnayake 3-102)

[Cicinfo]

Bangladesh kept their noses in front with a spirited showing on day four of the first Test in Galle on Friday, finishing strongly at 177 for three in their second innings. With a lead of 187 and plenty of batting left in the shed, the visitors will fancy their chances of setting Sri Lanka a tricky fourth-innings target on a wearing pitch.

A target in the vicinity of 250 could prove a tall order for the hosts, who were rattled by the guile of off-spinner Nayeem Hasan earlier in the day. Bangladesh, chasing only their second-ever win over Sri Lanka in 28 attempts, have history within touching distance.

The cornerstone of their resistance in the second innings was a 68-run stand for the third wicket between opener Shadman Islam and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. With both batsmen negotiating spin confidently, Sri Lanka were forced to turn back to pace. It was the bustling all-rounder Milan Rathnayake who broke the stand, trapping Shadman plumb in front for a fluent 76 — his sixth Test half-century.

Veteran campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim, fresh off a first-innings century, joined his captain and the duo ensured there were no further hiccups, putting on an unbroken 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket to put their side firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the final day.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers set the tone with a probing effort that denied Sri Lanka a first-innings lead. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was the pick of the bunch, weaving a web around the batters with his bounce and bite to claim a richly deserved five-wicket haul. He got the ball to talk, often making it spit and grip off the surface and the Sri Lankan batters were left groping.

In contrast, Sri Lanka’s spin twins — Prabath Jayasuriya and debutant Tharindu Ratnayake — failed to hit the right notes. Though both bagged a wicket apiece, they lacked venom. Jayasuriya, in particular, looked pedestrian with the Bangladeshi batsmen using their feet to good effect and blunting his left-arm spin with minimal fuss.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva tried rotating his bowlers, but the bite was missing. On a pitch where Nayeem looked like he was bowling with a wand, Sri Lanka’s spinners seemed to be rolling pies.

Galle is a result-oriented venue — the last draw here came a dozen years ago — and with the pitch showing signs of wear and tear, all three results remain on the table. But make no mistake, it’s Bangladesh who hold all the aces.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka resumed on 368 for four and still 127 runs adrift. However, any hopes of taking the lead were dashed as they lost Dhananjaya de Silva (19) and Kusal Mendis (5) in quick succession. The pendulum swung back Sri Lanka’s way thanks to an enterprising 84-run partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Milan Rathnayake. But just when the hosts looked poised to nose ahead, Bangladesh came roaring back.

The game turned on its head after lunch, with the visitors striking thrice in the space of ten deliveries for just one run. The prize scalp was that of Kamindu Mendis, who played a gem of an innings for his 87. He was undone by a peach from Nayeem — one that pitched on a length, spat off the surface, kissed the edge and was safely pouched by the keeper.

Sri Lanka track and field team were schedule to leave for Thailand in the evening on Friday. The eight-member team will take part in the Thailand Open Athletics Championship from June 21 to 25.

Seated (from left) Lt. Col. Ranjith Hennayake (Team Manager), Saman Kumara Gunawardana (Secretary, Sri Lanka Athletics), W.K.L.A. Nimali (800m), Safreen Ahmed (Triple Jump), Shantha de Silva (Treasurer SLA), Anura Bandara (Coach)

Back row (from left) Amasha de Silva (100m), Wathsala Hapuarachchi (100m hurdles), Rusiru Chathuranga (800m), Ayomal Akalanka (400m hurdles), V. Vakshan (1500m and 5000m), Madushani Herath (Long Jump and Triple Jump)