Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Test Match Heads for Draw on Final Day

Galle, Sri Lanka — The first Test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is likely to end in a draw as the teams enter the final day. As of lunch on June 21, Bangladesh has posted 237 for 4 in their second innings, leading by 247 runs with Najmul Hossain Shanto unbeaten on 89.

Bangladesh began the day with the question of how long to bat and give themselves time to bowl out Sri Lanka. Rain played a role early in the day, causing a brief delay and resulting in lunch being called 10 minutes early. However, no overs were lost, and 94 overs are expected to be played today.

Shanto’s partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim, which yielded 109 runs, came to an abrupt end when Mushfiqur was run out while attempting to score his fifty. Despite the persistent threat of rain throughout the Test, the match only faced one other stoppage.

The overall run rate of 3.15 suggests Bangladesh’s approach is conservative. With their lead not sufficient for a declaration, they seem to be focusing on batting until they achieve a total surpassing 300, likely seeking a target closer to 350.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, has chosen to set defensive fields, giving Bangladesh little urgency. The visitors also want to secure points in the World Test Championship, avoiding risks in their strategy.

The Sri Lankan spinners have struggled today to replicate the effectiveness shown by their bowlers in earlier sessions, specifically Nayeem Hasan‘s impressive performance last night.

Looking ahead, Bangladesh is positioned to maintain their lead, while Sri Lanka faces a challenging task if they hope to turn the tide away from a draw.