Batsmen have a ball in Galle, Test ends in a drab draw

by Elmo Rodrigopulle

* Twin hundreds from Kumar Sangakkara
* Classy half century from debutant Vithanage

On a wicket that favoured batsmen on all five days, the First of two Test matches between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka petered into a tame draw with batsmen having a ball at the Galle international Cricket Stadium, here today.

Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews made a token declaration setting the visitors 268 to win if they dared in 37 overs. Bangladesh lost an early wicket when Anamul Hauqe played a ball from Eranga on to his wicket for one with the score on 2. That was the only hiccup suffered by Bangladesh in their chase and when the Test was called off they were 70 for one wicket in 22 overs with Jahurul Islam on 41 and Mohamme Ashraful on 22. Sri Lanka 570 for 4 dec. and 335 for 4 dec. Bangladesh 638 and 70 for one. Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was adjudged Man of the Match for his first double hundred in Test cricket.

The final analysis is that Bangladesh who led Sri Lanka in the first innings and who came into this game as underdogs took the honours in this drawn game.

Pre-lunch session

With the wicket refusing to change face and getting better with each day, overnight not out batsmen Tillekeratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara resuming with the total on 116 for one continued to make merry milking the Bangladeshi bowling.

This apparently is the first time that the Galle wicket has behaved in such a true manner. There was nothing in it for the bowlers. The batsmen had everything in it in their favour and did they not revel on it.

The Bangladesh bowling was once again found wanting and short of Test standard. The medium pace bowlers sprayed it all over the place and were lacking in line, length and were not bowling to their fields. The spinners too lacked variation. On a wicket such as this they should have flighted the ball more often and looked for turn to surprise the batsmen. But they were bowling flat too often.

Most experienced

Dilshan and Sangakkara, two of the most experienced batmen in the Lankan side, just feasted on this poor bowling, playing some effortless strokes to all parts of the field to obtain their run with ease.

Both reached their hundreds before lunch. Dlshan was first there when he pushed an Elias Sunny delivery to leg and crossed over for a single. It came in 139 deliveries with 8 fours in 201 minutes.

Sangakkara was next to the 100 run post, when he squeezed a single to the off, off Mohammed Mahmadullah to celebrate his first twin hundred in Test cricket. Although it was made against an attack that was not up to Test class, the achievement was great. His 100 had 10 fours made off 156 balls and 198 minutes.

The two veteran batsmen took Sri Lanka to lunch with the score on 230 for one. Dilshan was unbeaten on 120 and Sangakkara 105 and the home team who conceded a first innings lead of 68 to Bangladeh – 162 runs in front.

Post-lunch session

With Dilshan and Sangkkara motoring with no trouble, it looked as though the stage was set for them to launch into the Bangladesh attack after enjoying a good lunch, and giving skipper Angelo Mathews a score from where he could declare and give his side a chance to bowl the opposition out. But that longing did not materialize because Sangakkara and Dilshan were both out soon after lunch. Sangakkara went second ball after lunch when he tried to push a delivery from Mohamdullah to long on and was superbly taken by Islam at short mid on at the lunch time score.

Then followed Dilshan 19 runs latter when attempting to pull a short ball from Mahamadullah he was taken superbly by Hassan diving forward at backward square leg. He made 126. With the dismissal of Sangakkara in walked debutant south paw Kithuruwan Vithanage. Tall and strongly built, from the first ball he faced there was class written all over him. His first scoring stroke was a lovely square drive that saw the ball rocket to the boundary.

Another great batsman

It signalled the arrival of another great batsman, who has the right temperament, technique and the strokes to be a big name in the game.

The 22-year old is a player of the future and what he needs is continuity to gain the necessary confidence. In his first game he bashed the Bangla bowlers for an unbeaten 168 and playing in his first big game dashed to 59 in 70 balls with a six and 7 fours. When he looked good for a debut 100, he threw it away trying to back cut and played on.

But the youngster will do well to cut out the ungainly looking reverse sweep or the switch hit from his wide repertoire of strokes.

This shot should have no place at this level. That’s a shot for the ’cowboy’ game. After Dilshan went Mathews came in and played a breezy knock of 38 in 49 balls and with the total on 335 for 4 he closed the innings setting the Bangladeshis 268 runs to win in37 overs.

Galle, Tuesday.