Bangladesh draw first Test with Sri Lanka after rain hampers play

The first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka fizzled out into a damp draw on Saturday, with rain robbing the match in Galle of a proper climax.

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Sri Lanka were set a tall order of 296 in 37 overs and were tottering at 72-4 when stumps were drawn 9.5 overs into the final hour, with both captains shaking hands and accepting no result was possible.

The day belonged to Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored centuries in both innings. “We were low on confidence coming into the series but this was a very good Test match,” he said.

“We wanted to declare early but rain forced us to rethink.”

Shanto made an unbeaten 125 in the second innings after posting 148 in his first dig.

It was the second time he had achieved the feat, scoring two centuries in a match against Afghanistan in 2023.

However, questions will linger over his captaincy. In pursuit of his landmark, Shanto might have taken his eye off the larger prize.