Bangladesh’s counterattack after a balanced start
Bangladesh had scored 182/3 by tea time on the first day of the Galle Test Match Time. After the initial setbacks, Nazmul Hussain Shoaib and Mushfiqur Rahim took charge. Both of them together made an unbeaten partnership of 137 runs, which dominated the entire session.
Bangladesh’s dominance in the session after lunch
In the post-lunch session, Bangladesh scored a total of 92 runs and did not lose any wicket. In this session, Sri Lanka’s bowling looked weak and Bangladesh took the score forward strongly.
Shanto and Mushfiqur’s classic batting
Shanto is standing firm at the crease with 70* and Mushfiqur with 66* runs. Both of them hit 11 fours and 1 six, due to which Sri Lanka had to constantly struggle in bowling.
No impact in Sri Lanka’s bowling
Despite trying five different bowlers, Sri Lankan bowlers did not get success. Neither spin nor pace attack showed any impact. This strategy failed.
The pitch supported the batsmen a lot
The pitch of Galle was favorable for the batsmen on the first day. The little moisture that was there in the morning was gone by tea, due to which the spin bowlers stopped getting grip and turn.
Fielding was also weak in the rain of runs
Due to the fast outfield, the ball was not taking long to reach the boundary. Sri Lanka failed to build pressure as the ground could not stop most of the shots.
Milan Ratnayake showed tight bowling
While most of the bowlers conceded runs, Milan Ratnayake bowled tight by giving only 11 runs in 8 overs. His line-length was quite accurate, but he did not get support from the other end.
Debutant Tharindu Ratnayake was the most expensive
Tharidu Ratnayake, playing in his first test, gave away 91 runs in 22 overs. His lack of experience was clearly visible and Shanto-Mushfiqur targeted him a lot.
Questions raised on Sri Lanka’s strategy
All three spinners bowled just one maiden over. This made it clear that Sri Lanka probably made a mistake in associating Milan with Prabhat Jayasuriya, who could give away just 46 runs in 17 overs.
The first day was in Bangladesh’s favour
The game till the end of the first day was completely in Bangladesh’s favour. If this partnership grows further, Bangladesh can move towards a big score, due to which Sri Lanka is sure to come under pressure.