Although rain washed away the final session of play on the fifth and final day of the first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka yesterday, the eventual draw was always on the cards at the placid pitch of Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
The Test match, which witnessed 1289 runs scored against 17 dismissals, proved to be a nightmare for the bowlers despite the expectations of assistance for the pacers on what had initially looked like a green top. The pitch flattered to deceive, though, as it remained ideal for batting till the last day, with four centuries scored including a double ton.
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Bangladesh will be relieved to finally register their first points on the ICC Test Championship table, and more importantly, the drawn result will boost their morale following a disappointing string of results in recent times.
Tamim Iqbal continued his fine run with the bat and scored his second fifty of the game, remaining unbeaten on 74 while skipper Mominul Haque was not out on 23 as Bangladesh reached 100 for two in their second innings before rain brought an early end to the game.
The visitors, though, were in some discomfort early in the second innings after pacer Suranga Lakmal picked up two quick wickets — those of Saif Hasan (1) and the centurion of the first innings, Najmul Hossain (0). Bangladesh seemed to be struggling on 27 for two at that point, but Tamim’s aggressive batting made sure the Tigers negotiated the remainder of the day without any more hiccups.
Earlier, Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 648 for eight at lunch, taking a first-innings lead of 107 runs. Taskin Ahmed dismissed both overnight batsmen — skipper DImuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva — early in the morning.
Karunaratne, who scored his maiden double ton on the fourth day, was dismissed for 244 off 437 balls, his innings featuring 26 fours while Dhananjaya, who registered his seventh Test hundred, departed for 166 off 291 balls, the knock laced with 22 fours.
Taskin was the most successful bowler for the visitors and registered his best bowling figures in Test cricket, picking up three for 112 in 30 overs.
The pacer will surely gain some confidence after making a comeback to the Test side following a four-year gap.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam bagged two wickets while off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz and pacer Ebadot Hossain picked up a wicket each for the visitors.
