Cricket-Shanto hits twin tons as Bangladesh draw first test against Sri Lanka
(Reuters) -Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto blasted twin centuries to help his side draw the first test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, while Angelo Mathews brought the curtain down on his red-ball career after more than 100 games for the hosts.
Shanto followed up his first-innings hundred with an unbeaten 125 in the second stanza after Mushfiqur Rahim was run out for 49, and Bangladesh declared on 285-6 to set Sri Lanka a steep victory target of 296 runs from 37 overs.
Sri Lanka lost a couple of quick wickets before Mathews, a veteran with more than 8,000 test runs to his name, held steadfast with the bat - albeit barely scoring any runs. In the end, Bangladesh called it a day with the score on 72-4 with five overs left.
Bangladesh had made Sri Lanka toil on the opening two days, amassing 495 runs in their first innings including 148 for Shanto and 163 for Rahim, with Litton Das (90) unlucky to miss out on a century of his own.
What followed was a batting tug-of-war on a placid wicket as Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka piled up 187 runs before Dinesh Chandimal (54) and Kamindu Mendis (87) helped the hosts reach 485 to concede only a 10-run lead at the halfway mark.
TURN AND BOUNCE
Bangladesh off-spinner Nayeem Hasan, who had begun to extract turn and bounce on a pitch showing signs of wear on the fourth day, claimed 5-121 - his fourth five-wicket haul in tests - to ensure Sri Lanka could not build a lead of their own.
The tourists then roared to 177-3 in their second innings at the end of the penultimate day for a healthy advantage, with Shadman Islam (76) giving them the chance to push for a rare overseas test victory and valuable World Test Championship points.
After showers late in the opening session on the fifth day wiped out 26 overs, Shanto reached his well-deserved hundred and asked Sri Lanka to bat again and attempt to chase down their big target at an asking rate of eight runs an over.
Former captain Mathews, who scored 39 in Sri Lanka's first innings, showed resilience in the final session and received a standing ovation when he fell for eight off 45 balls in his 119th and final test.
The result was the first drawn game in Galle for 12 years. The second test starts in Colombo next Wednesday and the two sides later play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Oviedo back in LaLiga after 24 years
(Reuters) -Real Oviedo sealed their return to LaLiga after 24 years with a 3–2 aggregate victory over Mirandes in Saturday's promotion play-off. Oviedo triumphed 3-1 at home, overturning a first-leg deficit with goals from Santi Cazorla, Ilyas Chaira and Francisco Portillo. A packed Estadio Carlos Tartiere erupted as fans stormed the pitch at the final whistle. The club from the Principality of Asturias, in the northwest of Spain, will now join Levante and Elche in next season's top tier, replacing relegated Leganes, Las Palmas and Valladolid. "There's no way to describe what this means to us. These players are heroes, every single one of them. They deserve great recognition," Oviedo coach Veljko Paunovic told LaLiga TV. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk)
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Injured Ruud pulls out of Wimbledon
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 15, 2025 Norway's Casper Ruud waves at fans after losing his quarter final match against Italy's Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo (Reuters) -Norway's Casper Ruud has pulled out of Wimbledon as he is still struggling to recover from a knee injury, his management told local media on Saturday. The world No. 16 and two-time French Open finalist suffered a shock second-round exit at the claycourt major last month, losing to unseeded Nuno Borges of Portugal. Afterwards he said he had been struggling with a knee injury for some time and he has not been in action on the men's tour since, withdrawing from the grasscourt event in Mallorca. "He's back on the court, and things are going well, but it looks like playing best-of-five sets is unfortunately a bit too soon. Gstaad will be next for Casper now," manager Tina Falster told NTB. Ruud's best showing at Wimbledon is three second-round appearances. Wimbledon starts on June 30, while the Swiss Open in Gstaad begins on July 14. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Dortmund feel the heat but still win
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group F - Mamelodi Sundowns v Borussia Dortmund - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. - June 21, 2025 General view of Borussia Dortmund substitutes holding umbrellas to get shade from the sunshine as coach Niko Kovac looks on REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach CINCINNATI, Ohio (Reuters) -Playing in midday heat proved a taxing ordeal for Germany's Borussia Dortmund, who had to hold on tenaciously to secure a 4-3 victory over South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns at the Club World Cup on Saturday. Temperatures over 30 degree Celsius in the United States have sapped the players' energy and there was a sense of relief for the Bundesliga side as they came through a tough physical test. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT European sides have had a difficult few days at the Club World Cup with defeats for Champions League winners Paris St Germain and Chelsea, so it was important for Borussia Dortmund to get their first win in Group F. KEY QUOTES Dortmund coach Niko Kovac: "We had a hard battle against the heat and an opponent who could handle the conditions better. This is a tournament that we want to compete in and try to win a World Cup title but the conditions are very hard for all for the teams." Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso: "I think it was clear that we pushed the level of the game to the maximum and that we were able to pay an open game against such a strong opponent. I'm very proud of the resilience that we showed." (Writing by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ed Osmond)
