1st Test
Day 1
Sri Lanka 321/4 (88.0 ov)
Bangladesh
How sweet homecomings can be. Having failed to score 300 in any of their six Test innings in South Africa, Sri Lanka rode Kusal Mendis's suave 166 not out to a score of 321 for 4 on the first day in Galle. Along the way, Mendis signed up Asela Gunaratne for a sidekick, forging with him a dominant 196-run fourth-wicket stand, of which Gunaratne's share was 85.
This Galle pitch deserves a first-innings total of at least 400, so although Sri Lanka's position is strong for now, it is certainly not an unassailable one. Bangladesh, though, will rue their falling away towards the end of the day. Their first three hours had been disciplined and energetic, the quicks squeezing a little movement from a reluctant surface in the early overs, before the spinners dealt almost exclusively in tight lines and lengths at their initial introduction. Their initial reward for this stretch of good bowling was a scoreline of 92 for 3, but then their pep waivered. The last dismissal came after several hours, not long before the close of play.
That late scalp was well-deserved by Taskin Ahmed, though - he was Bangladesh's most consistent operator through the day, and it was appropriate that he have at least one scalp to show for his toil.
Mendis's innings was not without its flaws, but the mistakes came in the early going. He was assured through the middle of the day, and by the end: sublime. The worst shot had been his first. Mendis flashed at a short ball outside off stump from Subhashis Roy, to send an under-edge to the keeper. Bangladesh were celebrating and he was trudging off when the umpires sought to run a no-ball check, with replays showing the bowler had overstepped. Though visibly relieved, the experience was enough to scare Mendis into early reticence - only 22 came from his first 60 balls.
There had been a little juice in the pitch in the early overs, too - a modicum of sideways movement, and just a hint of zip off the pitch. When this disappeared in the day's relentless heat, Mendis began to prosper. First he parsed the mild spin of Shakib Al Hasan and the moderate turn of Mehedi Hasan. He then withstood Taskin's intense second and third spells. Eventually Subashis tried to unsettle him with a short-ball assault, but though the occasional bouncer beat his hook shot, and another ball took the splice of his bat, he retained his wicket, and soon enough, began to score off the rib-high balls as well. As always with a good Mendis innings, there was that flicked on-drive, but on this occasion it was the swat-pull that defined his progress through the middle of the day. His first fifty took 101 deliveries but, in the company of Gunaratne - who was also scoring smoothly - Mendis hit his second off 64 balls.
As the day grew long, and Bangladesh began to visibly wilt, Mendis only grew more dominant. He slinked down the crease to hit Shakib over long-on in the 76th over, then slog-swept Mehedi over deep midwicket soon after. He sailed past 150 in the final overs of the day. This innings was not nearly as impressive as his maiden ton - 176 against Australia last year - but he has, nevertheless, already displayed a thirst for big hundreds.
Gunaratne, his partner for 43 overs, rarely appeared troubled at the crease, and was quick to punish anything short. Against the spinners he deployed his favoured sweep and reverse sweep. He glided to a half-century in 85 balls, and rarely failed to find gaps to release the pressure when a few dot balls had built up. This was his third fifty-plus score in five Test innings.
Before Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal had produced a long, fruitless stay at the crease. It was not tortured exactly - the ball rarely beating his bat or causing him strife - but it was unambitious in the extreme. Why he embraced this ultra-conservative approach is unclear, particularly as he had just clattered 190 off 253 against the same attack in the tour match last week. Whatever the case, he only succeeded in taking time out of the game. Midway through the afternoon, a sudden burst of energy overtook him: he attempted to flay Mustafizur Rahman through the covers, then tried to slash him a little squarer next ball. The first shot was mistimed, and yielded no run. The second attempt sent a thick outside edge directly to gully, who gobbled up the catch. Chandimal ended with 5 runs to show for 54 balls and 71 minutes at the crease.
The first session had been Bangladesh's best, as Subhashis, Taskin and Mustafizur delivered impeccable spells to corner Sri Lanka into conservatism. Subhashis had made the first incision, darting a ball back off the seam to rattle Upul Tharanga's stumps. Mehedi had Dimuth Karunaratne cutting too close to his body to make the second breakthrough. Sri Lanka were 61 for 2 at lunch, and there seemed a chance, at that stage, that their unusual decision to field only six batsmen for this Test would immediately hurt them.
Mendis ensured that would not be the case.
Day 2
Sri Lanka 494
Bangladesh 133/2 (46.0 ov)
Bangladesh trail by 361 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
On another batting day at Galle, Sri Lanka swelled their score to a 494, before Bangladesh cruised to 133 for 2 by stumps. The bowlers were relentless in their attempts to shake this Test awake - Mehedi Hasan bowled aggressively to make dents in the Sri Lanka lower order, and Lakshan Sandakan delivered some ripping left-arm wristspin in the evening - but the pitch remained somnolent, and the teams more-or-less evenly placed.
On the batting front, Kusal Mendis squandered his chance to complete a maiden double-hundred, Niroshan Dickwella cracked his way to 75, Tamim Iqbal hit a half-century before running himself out, and a charmed Soumya Sarkar saw out the day on 66 not out. Among the cricket's redeeming features, meanwhile, has been Sri Lanka's positive outlook at the crease (they scored their runs at 3.82 an over), and the emergence of first hints of big turn. If the Galle pitch continues to descend into its familiar cantankerous mood through the back end of this match, Bangladesh will have to bat very well.
For now, it is the batsmen's turn to hog the limelight, and no one has done that better than Kusal Mendis so far. He began the day on 166, but found his morning defined by two attempted sixes. The first, off Subashis Roy in the 95th over, was a hook shot gone awry - the mis-hit caught by Mustafizur Rahman at fine leg. The fielder, though, misjudged the position of the boundary, and trod on the rope while competing the catch. The umpire raised his arms to signal a six. Not seeing Mustafizur's mistake, the bowler raised his arms in celebration. Dickwella, the non-striker, also raised his arms to suggest to Subashis that the ball had been carried over the boundary. Everyone had their hands up, and for a second they were standing around looking like bank tellers during an armed robbery.
The second attempted six, however, would cost Mendis his wicket. He stepped down the pitch to Mehedi and sought to deposit him over long-on. He didn't quite get to the pitch, however, and this time, the mis-hit was controlled by Tamim Iqbal, who kept the ball in play by throwing it in the air, while he himself momentarily stepped over the boundary. That stroke had been an attempt to get to his maiden double hundred with a six - a sign that for all Mendis' seeming maturity at the crease, he is not immune to the impetuous flashes of youth. He was out for 194.
While Bangladesh's bowlers failed to muster the discipline they had managed in the first half of the first day, Mendis' partner, Dickwella, was typically lively at the crease, launching the second ball he faced on the day over the leg side for six, and at times employing the reverse sweep that has recently served him well in the shortest format. He played the ramp stroke over the slips to hit the second of his successive boundaries off Taskin Ahmed in the 97th over, and brought up his second Test half century soon after, off the 52nd ball he faced. Mehedi eventually had him top-edging an attempted swipe over the leg side to dismiss him for 75. Dilruwan Perera then hit a brisk half century - largely in the company of the tail - to help propel Sri Lanka to the brink of 500.
Tamim and Soumya would go on to register Bangladesh's first opening century stand in almost two years, but their progress was not always smooth. Soumya should have been out for 4 in the third over, had his outside edge been snared by Perera at gully off the bowling of Suranga Lakmal. Perera then became the bowler to have Tamim Iqbal dropped - on 28 - when wicketkeeper Dickwella failed to cling on to a thick outside edge.
Apart from those two errors, the openers were otherwise assured. They would often stride down the crease to knock the spinners down the ground, or launch them over the infield. Against the quicks, who were used in short spells, they rarely ventured a loose shot - Soumya lifting Lahiru Kumara languidly over the slips at one point.
It was only once both batsmen had almost reached fifty that Sandakan was brought into the attack. He began to cause problems almost immediately, regularly beating the bat and drawing inside-edges. For the first time in the Test, there seemed to be some turn in the surface. He can claim some credit in the dismissal of Tamim, though on the score sheet it went down as a run-out. A stock ball clipped Tamim's pad en route to the keeper - it perhaps collected some part of the bat as well - and though Dickwella took the ball cleanly, Tamim believed the ball to have dribbled away towards fine leg, and took off for a run. The wicketkeeper only had to take the bails off.
Bangladesh will be disappointed that Mominul Haque got himself trapped in front only a few overs before stumps were drawn, but nevertheless, may feel they have plenty of batting left.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 494
Bangladesh 312
Bangladesh trail by 182 runs
Rain, and a 106-run seventh-wicket stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehedi Hasan put the brakes on Sri Lanka's advance in Galle, but loose dismissals from the Bangladesh top order had already gifted the hosts an imposing position. When the rains came to wash out the third session of day three, the first innings had been completed, and Sri Lanka led by 182 runs. Nevertheless, they may have to move quickly if they are to turn their dominance into a win - more rain is forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Bangladesh had begun the day with a little over a quarter of Sri Lanka's score knocked off, for the loss of two wickets, but quickly did they unravel in the first session. Soumya Sarkar played the first poor stroke, swatting Suranga Lakmal heedlessly off his hips to pick out the fine leg fielder. Shakib Al Hasan batted positively for 18 deliveries, but got himself caught down the legside off the bowling of Lakshan Sandakan. Mahmudullah and Liton Das then both fell playing footless shots - Liton poking at Herath only to send slip a catch; Mahmudullah missing a straight ball from Lahiru Kumara, which had been angled in from wide of the crease.
Defying Sri Lanka, and fitting the innings with some semblance of a backbone, was Mushfiqur. He was largely passive through the first session, even as Sandakan sent down a feast of loose deliveries in between several unplayable ones. He scored only 21 runs in 70 balls as the four morning wickets fell, but became livelier after lunch. Herath was launched into the sightscreen in the first over of the session, and Mushfiqur rarely let a scoring opportunity slip by him over the next few overs: he'd score 47 runs in as many balls, hitting eight boundaries while completing a 16th career fifty. He went on to make 85.
Fresh from a good batting outing in Hyderabad, Mehedi fed off the senior man's productivity, and compiled 41 runs of his own - venturing five boundaries in all. The partnership not only helped stem a collapse, but also eliminated the option of the follow-on. Sandakan and Kumara - Sri Lanka's youthful wildcard bowlers - had helped rattle Bangladesh in the morning, but were perhaps guilty of the waywardness that allowed this stand to gain a foothold.
Once this partnership was broken, however, the end came swiftly, thanks in part to Dilruwan Perera, who was kept out of the attack for the first 40 overs, but made substantial impact when he did arrive. In his third over of the day, he nailed Mehedi in front of the stumps with a quicker ball that turned. Taskin was given not out when rapped on the pad next ball, but Herath reviewed that decision, and the ball was found to be taking out enough of leg stump to overturn that call. With No. 10 batsman Subashis Roy visibly uncomfortable at the crease, Mushfiqur attempted to farm the strike, but was perhaps caught in two minds when he came down the crease to Herath in the waning overs of the session. He could have hit Herath's slider down the ground, but instead had the ball dip on it and slip beneath his bat and into off stump.
A break for bad-light came just before tea was scheduled to be taken, but before the rains could come down, a brief break in the clouds allowed the teams to play the two further deliveries required to wipe out the Bangladesh innings - Herath having Mustafizur Rehman freakishly caught at short leg. Both he and Perera finished with three wickets from the innings.
The rain came just as the second innings was about to begin. An hour-long shower washed out the rest of the day.
Day 4
Sri Lanka 494 & 274/6d
Bangladesh 312 & 67/0 (15.0 ov)
Bangladesh require another 390 runs with 10 wickets remaining
A sparkling Soumya Sarkar fifty set Bangladesh's fourth innings off apace, but the visitors remained 390 runs adrift, on a pitch expected to become prickly on the final day. That they had as many as 457 to chase was partly thanks to Upul Tharanga, who sailed to his first home Test century in the afternoon session, as well as a conservative declaration from Rangana Herath. At the time of declaration, 125 overs remained in the match, but it is highly unlikely so many will be possible - bad light and rain ate up 12 overs at the tail end of day four.
Having been somewhat watchful in the first session, it was after lunch that Tharanga opened his shoulders. He cracked successive fours off Mustafizur Rahman and then routinely strode down the pitch to meet the spinners. Especially severe was he on errors of length, creaming languid boundaries through midwicket and square leg, though he also used the cut and sweep to good effect. He used up 109 balls to reach his half century; his next 47 runs were studded with five boundaries, and came off 44 deliveries. Tharanga paused briefly on the brink of his century, then immediately began to attack again, launching Shakib Al Hasan over long-on. Two more fours were smoked off Mehedi Hasan next over, before Tharanga was bowled trying to attempt a third - Mehedi tossing the ball bravely up, and beating the batsman in the air.
Mehedi had in fact been among Bangladesh's most impressive bowlers on a difficult day. He claimed two wickets under duress, delivering a good mix of turning balls and straighter ones, with an in-out field in place. Shakib took two wickets as well, but it was Mustafizur Rahman who delivered the most immaculate lines and lengths - in the morning session he had delivered four successive maidens, and he conceded only 24 in his nine overs in the day.
Sri Lanka's declaration did not come until after Dinesh Chandimal got to fifty after tea, but nevertheless, they batted most of the afternoon session like a declaration was imminent. Thanks largely to Tharanga, they had hit 160 runs at 5.16 an over, and happily did they burn four wickets in the pursuit of these quick runs. Sweeps and reverse sweeps against the turn were attempted. Bowlers often had batsmen running down the pitch at them. For the first time there appeared to be substantial purchase off this pitch as well, so the contest between bat and ball was roughly even. If Bangladesh had held chances off Dinesh Chandimal, who was dropped on 11, or Dimuth Karunaratne, who was dropped on seven, they may have been more successful in slowing Sri Lanka's advance.
Sri Lanka, though, were themselves unsatisfied with a lead of 350 - though no team had ever scored more than 300 at this venue - or even 400. Herath's thinking, perhaps, was to eliminate the chance of a Bangladesh victory almost entirely, which might allow him to ring the batsman with fielders with little consequence.
This is in fact what he did in the 15 overs Bangladesh batted, and perhaps it is what allowed Sarkar to hurtle to 53 off 47 balls by the close of play. He hit six fours and one six - all off the spinners, and all square of the wicket. Herath did not bring the younger, more attacking bowlers on before stumps; Lakshan Sandakan and Lahiru Kumara would be reserved for the big push on the final day.
In the morning session, neither opening batsman had seemed fluent, and with both their places in the side under some pressure, had not ventured many attacking strokes. In fact one of the few occasions that Karunaratne attempted to hit out, he supplied Bangladesh an opportunity to get him out: Shakib going on to drop the mis-hit lofted drive at short cover to deny Mehedi a wicket. He was moved to caution by that scare, but did not make much use of the second life, swatting a Taskin Ahmed ball carelessly into the legside, where Mahmudullah ran in off the rope to complete and excellent diving catch. Though Bangladesh also made plenty of fielding mistakes, there would be an even better catch later in the day, when Liton Das lunged to his left to intercept a reverse-paddle from Niroshan Dickwella.
More rain is forecast for the fifth afternoon, but to defy Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will have to resist Herath - the bowler with the most fourth-innings five-wicket hauls in cricket, bowling on a favourite strip.
Day 5
Sri Lanka's slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.
Leading the final charge was Rangana Herath. He was unstoppable as ever in defence of a score, and picked up record for most career wickets for a left-arm spinner en route to figures of 6 for 59. This was his 29th five-wicket haul overall, and his 10th in the fourth innings - no one in the history of the game has got more than seven.
Batting in the fourth innings in Galle is among the most daunting of Test cricket's challenges, and although Bangladesh suggested they might approach the task with spunk on the fourth afternoon, fell away quickly on Saturday. This was their third day-five collapse in four matches, having also failed to draw matches in Wellington and Hyderabad. Save for a 19-over stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, there was little in the way of resistance. They were eventually all out for 197 - 259 runs short of Sri Lanka.
Their woes had begun immediately on day five. Soumya Sarkar, who had sped to fifty the previous afternoon, almost sent a catch to short leg off Asela Gunaratne first ball, but was out next ball in any case, Gunaratne's offbreak jiving away from his defence to shave the top of off stump.
The top order then quickly succumbed. Dilruwan Perera came to the crease to bowl to Mominul Haque, and trapped the batsman with much the same delivery that had got him out in the first innings. Flighted in to pitch on around middle stump, Perera turned the ball, beat the shot, and rapped a leaden-footed Mominul dead in front of middle stump. So scrambled was the batsman's mind, that he even ventured a heedless review of that lbw decision though he never really thought he had a chance of surviving it - walking most of the way to the boundary before the third-umpire could even run the simulations.
Tamim Iqbal soon sent a catch to slip off Perera, before Herath made his presence known with a double-strike that drew him level with Daniel Vettori's career wicket tally of 362. Shakib Al Hasan was caught at leg slip off one that turned a little more than the batsman expected, then two balls later, Mahmudullah was lbw to a delivery that spun past his defence as well. At that stage, Bangladesh had lost five wickets in 12.4 overs.
Mushfiqur and Liton mounted a brief fight through the back end of the first session, lending hope that Bangladesh might be able to survive until the afternoon rains came. But by now Galle's pitch - itself often a force of nature - had become unfriendly, and even the bad balls turned far enough to draw mistakes. Lakshan Sandakan turned a ball way down the legside in the over after lunch, and Mushfiqur got himself out chasing it and offering a thin edge to the keeper. Sandakan had dismissed Shakib in similar style in the first innings.
Herath then soon had Liton caught off the leading edge at cover to take his 363rd Test wicket - which made him the game's most successful left-arm spinner - and the tail exposed now, the result seemed inevitable. Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman all fell to Herath. All up, Bangladesh could only last 45.2 of the 98 overs they were due to bat on the day.
2nd Test
Day 1
Sri Lanka 238/7 (83.1 ov)
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka fought back in the final 75 minutes of play in Colombo through an obdurate eighth-wicket partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Rangana Herath, but Bangladesh won the day, making a fine start to their landmark 100th Test. When bad light stopped play at 5.16pm, they had taken seven wickets and given away only 238 runs.
Chandimal was unbeaten on 86 off 210 balls with four fours, in a great display of solidity against a Bangladesh attack that consistently threatened. Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan took two wickets each, while Subashis Roy, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam backed them up with controlled spells taking one wicket apiece.
Bangladesh overcame some of the disadvantage of losing the toss with Mustafizur and Mehedi making crucial early strikes. Mustafizur tempted opener Dimuth Karunaratne to play away from his body and had him caught at gully by Mehedi, who then took over and took out not one but both centurions from the Galle Test - Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga.
Mendis ran past a drifter and was stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim, who took over the gloves with Liton Das injured, and Tharanga was caught at slip after jabbing at a classic offspinner's delivery. Roy then claimed the morning session for Bangladesh when he trapped Asela Gunaratne lbw for 13, which left Sri Lanka on 70 for 4 at lunch.
Things changed in the afternoon though. Chandimal, recognising the importance of batting through the innings, did not hit a single boundary in the session as he helped Sri Lanka up their score by 79 runs for the loss of only one wicket. That wicket came in the 48th over when a fluent Dhananjaya de Silva tried to pull Taijul Islam's left-arm spin and was instead bowled. Sri Lanka's largest partnership of the innings - 66 runs in 19.4 overs - had been broken. It might have ended a lot sooner if not for DRS. In the 39th over, Shakib had got the on-field umpire's approval for a catch off the inside edge at slip, but with Chandimal opting for the review, replays showing no conclusive evidence of bat being involved.
Sri Lanka began the third session positively, taking four fours off Subashis, but Shakib made up for it from the other end when he removed Niroshan Dickwella, who had struck three of those boundaries, for 34. Mustafizur followed that up by having Dilruwan Perera caught at second slip to reinforce Bangladesh's dominance.
Sri Lanka's hopes now rest with their captain Herath, who successfully challenged Aleem Dar ruling him lbw, and Chandimal. They had put on 43 runs in 18.3 overs, before dark clouds descended over the P Sara Oval, forcing early stumps.
Day 2
Bangladesh 214 for 5 trail Sri Lanka 338 by 124 runs
The two ends of the day were delicate and disastrous. Dinesh Chandimal took Sri Lanka out of a slippery slope, from an overnight 238 for 7 to a more comfortable footing of 338. Then, Bangladesh did what they have so regularly, giving away a good start and looking like a team hell-bent on self-destruction.
Chandimal gave Sri Lanka the cushion with his proficiency, ensuring that they moved quickly on the second morning. Along with Herath, the duo batted for 30-odd minutes before Shakib Al Hasan had the Sri Lanka captain edging to slip for 25. Then, Suranga Lakmal continued the lower order's good work with 35, most of which came during his 33-run last-wicket stand with Lakshan Sandakan.
But it was during the Chandimal-Lakmal ninth-wicket stand that Sri Lanka truly regained control. The duo added 55 runs in quick time, thanks mainly to Chandimal, who opened up with big hits down the ground after notching up his eighth Test century. He finished with ten fours and a six over square-leg off Mustafizur Rahman. Mehedi Hasan picked up three wickets, while Soumya Sarkar took four catches - a record for a Bangladesh fielder in a Test innings.
Sri Lanka could have jolted Bangladesh early in their reply had Rangana Herath not been shy in asking for a review in the third over. Tamim played Lakmal across the line and was struck in front; replays later confirmed that the umpire's not out call would have been overturned.
Tamim, on 2 then, survived on 23 when Sri Lanka again decided against using the review. This time, it was Dilruwan Perera who pinged him in front. That hardly deterred Tamim, however, and along with Soumya Sarkar, who stroked the ball nicely, put together a third successive 50-plus stand for the first wicket.
When Tamim eventually fell, at the stroke of tea, he had been trapped in front again, having missed a slider from Herath. This time, the review worked, and Tamim walked back one short of fifty, having played 91 balls.
Imrul Kayes, who replaced Mominul Haque at No. 3, got off the mark with an edged boundary, which was followed by a reverse sweep. Sarkar raised a fifty, but just like in Galle, fell soon after. With Sandakan pitching it up, Sarkar shaped to play towards cover but ended up leaving a big gap that allowed the ball to sneak through and hit the stumps. Just one ball prior, he had smacked Sandakan through covers, but given how he has failed to complete the job in every innings this year, the dismissal was not entirely unexpected. Sabbir Rahman and Kayes tried to keep the scoring rate at par with the previous partnerships, but seemed to search for far too many acute angles to find gaps.
Kayes had been handed a reprieve when he was dropped on 25 by Chandimal at deep square leg. But he couldn't make it count, missing a quicker delivery from Sandakan and sent back lbw for 34.
Next ball, Taijul Islam, sent out as a nightwatchman, was done in by pace as he was rapped on the pads by a fuller one. With umpire S Ravi not giving it out, Sri Lanka had to opt for another review and were successful again. Shakib Al Hasan played across the line off the hat-trick ball, but luckily for him, he had struck it well.
The slide worsened when a set Sabbir fell to Lakmal's leg-side trap that included a leg gully, short square-leg and a short midwicket. Seeing the field, he played a half-hearted pull that lobbed to leg gully and he was caught by Dhananjay de Silva for 42.
As if that weren't enough, Shakib kept pressing hard at Sandakan, and was lucky to survive. First, Upul Tharanga put him down a deep square leg, before Chandimal nearly got to another top-edged pull. Mushfiqur then quietly got under a bouncer from Lakmal to end the day.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 338 & 54/0 (13.0 ov)
Bangladesh 467
Sri Lanka trail by 75 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Bangladesh made a memorable comeback in their 100th Test as their last five wickets nearly batted through the entire day. Shakib Al Hasan was at the centre of it all, making his fifth century in the format and ensuring his team took the first-innings lead for only the second time while batting second away from home.
When they were bowled out for 467, Bangladesh had pulled ahead by 129 runs and had just enough time for a quick burst at Sri Lanka's openers too. Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga, though, were able to withstand the hostility and reach stumps at 54 for 0. That the hosts were forced to play catch up in Colombo - they were still 75 runs behind - was largely because of Shakib.
With Bangladesh starting the day 214 for 5 and 124 runs away from parity, they needed a senior batsman to show them the way. Shakib took the responsibility and the most striking aspect of his innings was that though he didn't necessarily bat slowly, he didn't play too many reckless shots. He persevered through the quiet periods to make a substantial contribution, one that he might remember for a long time considering the landmark occasion.
Sri Lanka might remember it too, much to their chagrin, because they had dropped him on 11 and 67 and missed a run-out attempt when he was on 40.
Mushfiqur Rahim also made an important contribution, hitting a half-century of his own and sharing in a 92-run partnership with Shakib. It was broken by Suranga Lakmal, who armed with the second new ball, induced a false shot and bowled the Bangladesh captain through the gate. If Sri Lanka had thought they might roll the rest of the batting line-up over, considering it was just a debutant and the tail to follow, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.
The 21-year old Mosaddek Hossain showed great application to make 75 off 155 balls in his first Test innings to propel the total past 450. With plenty of their batsmen stepping up, Bangladesh added 102 runs in the first session, a further 112 in the middle session and each time they lost only one wicket.
Galle 2013 was the first time in Bangladesh's history that they had taken a first-innings lead batting second in an away Test but with Shakib and Mosaddek's 131-run stand for the seventh wicket, they were able to emulate that feat in Colombo.
Sri Lanka had an entry into the record books as well. Rangana Herath became only the second man from his country to take 1000 first-class wickets. He claimed the record by trapping Mustafizur Rahman lbw and finished with 4 for 82 in 24.1 overs. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan also finished with a four-for.
Given the slowness of the P Sara pitch so far, the fate of the Test now depends on which team can hold their nerve better. Sri Lanka had done well to get through to the end of play without any mishaps - although Karunaratne did give a chance, tickling Subashis Roy down the leg side only for the wicketkeeper Mushfiqur to fumble a very difficult catch - but if Bangladesh's bowlers can match the discipline shown by their batsmen they can look forward to causing some damage on the fourth day.
Day 4
Sri Lanka 338 & 268/8 (100.0 ov)
Bangladesh 467
Sri Lanka lead by 139 runs with 2 wickets remaining
The Test is tantalisingly poised. Sri Lanka, holders of a proud home record, stretched their lead to 139 thanks to two centuries: of runs from Dimuth Karunaratne and of balls by the No. 8 Dilruwan Perera. But Bangladesh, playing in a landmark game of their own, can consider themselves in control of their 100th Test after picking up eight wickets on the fourth day.
The day ended on a strange note for Bangladesh after umpire Aleem Dar seemed to nod in the affirmative to an appeal, as if to suggest Suranga Lakmal had got a faint inside edge to short leg off the last ball bowled by Mosaddek Hossain. Replays, however, didn't indicate an edge but it was another example of how tough this Test has been for the umpires.
That Bangladesh made inroads through the day was because the attack was led astutely by Shakib Al Hasan, who took three wickets, including that of Karunaratne in the final session for 126. Having removed Asela Gunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella earlier, Shakib finished with 3 for 61 after 30 overs of accurate left-arm spin.
Yet the man instrumental for breaking Sri Lanka's back was Mustafizur Rahman, after the hosts looked steady the first session despite losing Upul Tharanga in the day's second over to Mehedi Hasan. Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis had weathered the early burst and added 86, large parts of it being accrued before lunch.
Mendis, who made 36, was given an early reprieve on 12 when Imrul Kayes couldn't hold on to a sharp chance at short leg. Then he was nearly run out on 28 after a mix-up with Karunaratne, but Sabbir Rahman's throw from cover missed the stumps at the bowler's end. Sri Lanka had wiped out the deficit and were ahead by 8 at lunch, looking comfortable, but that was to soon change.
Mustafizur first dismissed Mendis in controversial fashion; the third umpire overturned a not-out decision though replays didn't quite suggest a nick to the wicketkeeper. Dhananjaya de Silva and first-innings centurion Dinesh Chandimal were then out chasing wide deliveries after being starved of width for most parts of their short stays.
Even as Sri Lanka collapsed in the middle session, losing five wickets for 62 runs in 26 overs, Karunaratne battled on to reach his fifth Test century. He found an ally in Perera, who fought with him during the course of 22.2 overs in which they added 27. The gallant fight ended when Shakib had Karunaratne caught at slip after an effort that spanned 244 balls and included 10 fours and a six over mid-on.
Rangana Herath continued to blunt the bowling with Perera, batting for another nine overs before being trapped by Shakib with a delivery that fizzed in with the angle from over the wicket. Perera remained steadfast in defence, only getting his first boundaries after he had faced 110 balls. He added 30 valuable runs with Lakmal before stumps.
Day 5
Sri Lanka 338 & 319
Bangladesh 467 & 191/6 (57.5 ov)
Bangladesh won by 4 wickets
A win on foreign soil against a strong home side was Bangladesh's dream for a long time. They achieved it in their 100th Test by beating Sri Lanka with four wickets to spare at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.
There were plenty of nervy moments though, especially after Shakib Al Hasan was dismissed with 29 still required in the 191-run chase. Then, umpire S Ravi adjudged Mushfiqur Rahim lbw, only to be overturned on review. In the next over, Rangana Herath could not hold on to a rather touch return catch offered by Mosaddek Hossain.
Mosaddek continued to attack, hitting the next ball over cover for four. Two more boundaries took Bangladesh within six runs of their target. But the debutant fell before the win could be achieved. Eventually it was a Mehedi Hasan sweep that took the team over the line, sparking wild celebrations.
It was Bangladesh's first win over Sri Lanka in Test cricket. They came into this game on the back of a timid performance in Galle. Then they had to deal with the messy axing of Mahmudullah and a late injury to wicketkeeper Liton Das. It must have been difficult to summon the focus needed to level the series.
A target of 191 in the fourth innings of an away Test is still tough terrain for Bangladesh. Herath and offspinner Dilruwan Perera were able to extract sharp enough turn that Tamim Iqbal could do little more than survive. He struck his first boundary after 41 balls at the crease and shepherded Sabbir Rahman through a 109-run third wicket partnership. That Bangladesh were once 22 for 2 was long forgotten.
Tamim and Sabbir became comfortable with time at the crease. Out came the inside-out drives and cheeky reverse sweeps and up came Herath and Dilrunwan's hands to scratch their heads. The spinners were totally hit off their lines after lunch.
Tamim reached his fifty off 87 balls, and then launched Herath through extra cover for four and a six over long-on that landed on the second floor. But on 82, he skied Dilruwan towards mid-on and Dinesh Chandimal ran back to complete a sharp catch. Sabbir was lbw for 41 with DRS coming to Sri Lanka's aid.
Herath would have hoped for things to happen differently on his 39th birthday. He had after all gave his team a good chance by picking up two wickets in two balls in the morning. Soumya Sarkar was caught at long-off playing an unnecessarily aggressive shot and Imrul Kayes followed him to the pavilion by nicking off to slip.
The home side was on top at that point, having extended their overnight score of 268 for 8, to 319 in the first hour. Dilruwan and Suranga Lakmal added 80 runs for the ninth wicket. Both fell within five balls of each other; Lakmal made 42 off 48 balls while Dilruwan made 50 off 174.
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