Mathews' Last Test: Sri Lanka Manage to Hold On for Draw

🧩 The Central "What If" The pivotal question lingers: Should Bangladesh have declared earlier? Target set: 296 runs off 37 overs Required rate: 8 runs per over — unrealistic for a typical fourth-innings chase, especially on a wearing Galle surface. Overs potentially lost: Bangladesh batted 11 overs post-rain and added just 48 runs, including a slow 50-ball stretch for Shanto’s milestone. Opportunity cost: Had they declared at lunch (lead of 247, 50 overs remaining), they might have had 13 extra overs to bowl out Sri Lanka. 🧠 Strategic Caution vs Milestone Motivation Najmul Hossain Shanto’s twin centuries were a rare personal and team achievement (only the third time in Bangladesh Test history). Bangladesh’s slow progression post-rain suggests they prioritized his milestone over maximizing time to bowl Sri Lanka out. There was extravagant turn due to the rain-dampened surface, hinting that more time could’ve made a real difference. 🔍 Morning Session Pacing Run rate: 3.15 in the morning, when the pitch was already helping spinners. Bangladesh appeared content with accumulation rather than acceleration — perhaps due to their recent poor form in Tests and WTC considerations. 🔐 Sri Lanka's Defensive Resolve From 4 down, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis absorbed pressure for 53 balls, sealing the draw with 5 overs to spare. Taijul Islam’s efforts (3/23) and the turn available gave Bangladesh hope, but they ran out of time, not intent. 📊 Conclusion Drawn Test, but Bangladesh may rue not being bold enough. They had momentum, a turning pitch, and Sri Lanka four down. A declaration even 30–45 minutes earlier might have created a dramatically different finish — but hindsight, as always, is 20/20. Sri Lanka 485 (Nissanka 187, Kamindu 87, Nayeem 5-121, Mahmud 3-74) and 72 for 4 (Nissanka 24, Taijul 3-23) drew with Bangladesh 495 (Mushfiqur 163, Shanto 148, Litton 90, Asitha 4-86, M Rathnayake 3-39, T Rathnayake 3-196) and 285 for 6 dec (Shanto 125*, Shadman 76, T Rathnayake 3-102)