Sri Lanka held off a late Bangladesh surge to secure a tense draw in Angelo Mathews’ farewell Test. Despite a double century from Shanto and spinning heroics from Taijul, Bangladesh were left wondering: did they declare too late?
Sri Lanka Survive Final Session to Earn Draw in Mathews’ Last Test
In a gripping finale to the first Test at Galle, Sri Lanka survived a nervy final session to secure a draw against Bangladesh, marking a dramatic close to Angelo Mathews’ farewell Test. With 37 overs left in the day and four wickets down, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis batted through the final 53 deliveries, ensuring the game ended in a stalemate.
Despite Sri Lanka finishing on 72 for 4, Bangladesh may rue a missed opportunity, having declared with only 37 overs remaining—a move that came under scrutiny as the game closed without the breakthrough they desperately needed. Could they have declared earlier?
Their declaration came after a post-lunch session that followed a long rain delay. At the time, Bangladesh were more focused on Najmul Hossain Shanto completing his second century of the match—a feat achieved only thrice by a Bangladeshi batter and twice by Shanto himself. That milestone came after 50 slow-paced balls, during which Bangladesh scored just 19 runs and lost two wickets. But once Shanto hit his century, he unleashed with three sixes in quick succession.
The slow approach in the morning session may have cost them. Bangladesh batted at a sluggish 3.15 run rate before the rain arrived. Though they had a lead of 247 at the time, they waited longer than perhaps needed to push for a win, eventually setting Sri Lanka a target of 296 from 37 overs—eight runs per over on a sharply turning pitch.
Despite the slow pace, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan nearly turned the tide. Taijul’s 3 for 23 was a masterclass in spin bowling. He dismissed Mathews with a clever arm-ball and clean bowled Dinesh Chandimal. Earlier, Lahiru Udara was stumped advancing down the track, and Nissanka was dismissed by Nayeem for 24.
Had Bangladesh declared even 13 overs earlier, the match might have taken a different course. Taijul and Nayeem, exploiting the deteriorating Galle pitch, would’ve welcomed the extra time to push for a famous victory.
Bangladesh, who’ve been struggling for form in Test cricket, were cautious not to risk valuable World Test Championship points, but in the process may have missed a rare chance to seal a win. Both sides will carry their own regrets and lessons into the second Test, but Mathews leaves the stage with Sri Lanka battling to the end.
