Tait: 'Our pacers missed a trick with new ball'

Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach Shaun Tait feels that his seamers could not make the best use of the first new ball against Sri Lanka on the third day of the Galle Test.

After Bangladesh finished their first innings on 495, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana opened the bowling but couldn't make a breakthrough. Mahmud bowled six overs with the new ball and Rana seven in two short spells as Bangladesh had a fast bowler operating from one end till the 20th over. But it was Taijul Islam who got the first wicket, in the 13th. By stumps, Sri Lanka had sped to 368 for 4, reducing the deficit to 127.

"It is a good batting wicket, and it was difficult conditions for fast bowlers today," Tait said. "They toiled hard. They gave effort. We could have started better with the first new ball. We probably missed out. They know that. That's all you can ask for. You bowl on a different day on a different wicket, you get a different result. We batted for two days. It is one of those good batting wickets.

"I think they batted really well. Sri Lanka are no pushovers. This is the team that was competing for the WTC final. They are a good side with good batters. The pacers missed a trick with the new ball. It would have been nice if they had taken a couple of wickets with the new ball but I am not going to be negative."

Sri Lanka forced the issue, particularly Pathum Nissanka with a career-best 187. He struck 23 fours and a six in his 256-ball stay. The Galle pitch typically starts helping spinners from the third day but that was not the case in this Test.

"I think the wicket is pretty good," he said. "It hasn't changed a great deal. Today was a good batting day, we saw that. It probably hasn't spun as much as maybe people thought it would on the third day.

"Normally, Galle starts to turn a bit more. It turned a little but nothing significant. There are still a couple of days left. Test cricket can change pretty quickly. There's hard work to be done."

With Mehidy Hasan Miraz out with illness, Bangladesh played just four frontline bowlers, which has made their task difficult. Rana, who is playing only his eighth Test, was particularly expensive as he tried to bowl attacking lines and lengths. He went for 80 from his 16 wicketless overs, but Tait said it was up to him to work with the youngster.

"Anyone who bowls that pace should get the new ball from time to time," he said. "I don't know, going forward, who is going to take the new ball. This is my first Test [as fast-bowling coach]. We have two fast bowlers. He has to take the new ball. He is absolutely fine [taking the new ball].

"It is early in his career. He burst onto the scene. There's a lot of attention and expectation on him. I don't know if Bangladesh have ever had a fast bowler as exciting as him. There's a little bit of pressure on him from the media and public. It is up to me to work through that with him as the bowling coach. It is not just about the bowling all the time. It is also how you deal with the extra pressure of being a young superstar."

Towards the end of the day, Mahmud made some amends by dismissing Nissanka with the second new ball. He set up Nissanka with the one that went away before bowling him through the gate with a big inswinger.

"He struck the middle stump - it was a good ball," Tait said. "You have to take little wins to the shed on this wicket. At the end of the day, it is a positive."