Sri Lanka salvage draw in Mathews' farewell Test
It was a case of what might have been for Bangladesh who declared with 37 overs left
Madushka Balasuriya
21-Jun-2025 • Updated 12 hrs ago
Najmul Hossain Shanto celebrates his hundred • AFP/Getty Images
Sri Lanka 485 (Nissanka 187, Kamindu 87, Nayeem 5-121, Mahmud 3-74) and 72 for 4 (Nissanka 24, Taijul 3-23, Nayeem 1-29) drew with Bangladesh 495 (Mushfiqur 163, Shanto 148, Litton 90, Asitha 4-86, M Rathnayake 3-39) and 285 for 6 decl (Shanto 125*, Shadman 76, Rahim 49, T Rathnayake 3-102)
Sri Lanka batted out 32 overs in the final session and ensured that the first Test in Galle ended in a draw, that both sides will be content with, if not happy. But it wasn't a result without minor jeopardy, as Sri Lanka lost four wickets on the way before Dhananjaya de Silva 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 Nayeem Hasan'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? Would that have put more pressure on both Dhananjaya and Kamindu? Could they have grabbed one or two more? And then, who knows.
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