Mathews’ Test era ends as Bangladesh outplay Sri Lanka and settle in for a draw
As Angelo Mathews departed the field for the final time in Test cricket, Sri Lanka harboured hopes of bestowing upon their champion a victorious farewell. However, Bangladesh, through a commanding batting exhibition led by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim on an absolute belter of a wicket until the final session, ensured that the veteran all-rounder’s swansong concluded with nothing more than a draw.
Bangladesh spinners led by Taijul Islam (3/23) threatened to force a result, generating turn and bounce in the final session, but ran out of time as Sri Lanka finished on 72-4 chasing 296 to win in 37 overs when both teams decided to end the proceedings with 5.3 overs left in the match.
Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal (L) watches as Angelo Mathews (C) jokes with Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim
The first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh culminated in a rather tame stalemate following rain interruptions that punctuated the pre- and post-lunch sessions yesterday. And it did not serve as an entirely fitting tribute to Mathews—the stalwart who bid farewell to the longest format of the game.
A modest ceremony on the opening day honoured the cricketer’s distinguished career. Hoardings around the Galle International Stadium bearing the words ‘A Lion in White’ and ‘Final chapter in white: written well’ captured this remarkable man’s essence.
For 16 years, Mathews didn’t merely represent Sri Lanka at cricket—he embodied commitment, resilience, and grace under pressure, fashioning a career that spoke as eloquently of character as it did of raw talent. His journey from the anxious 22-year-old, who earned his maiden cap to the elder statesman, who departed with quiet dignity on Saturday, epitomised substance over spectacle.
Mathews concluded with a tally of 8,214 Test runs in 119 matches after scoring 39 and 8 in his final innings, a modest contribution by his lofty standards.
“I can’t believe the love I have received,” Mathews said ending his career.
“Ever so grateful to all those who supported me. It wasn’t an easy journey – lots of ups and downs. It’s time for the younger players to take the baton and take Sri Lanka cricket forward”.
However, the match exposed several uncomfortable truths about Sri Lanka’s current state, particularly with their spin attack, which demonstrated precious little venom on an unresponsive surface. The most significant disappointment proved to be Prabath Jayasuriya, affectionately nicknamed ‘Galle-Dozer’ for his previously mesmerising performances at this very venue.
On this occasion, however, he appeared completely neutered by a pitch offering little support, leaving Sri Lankan supporters questioning whether their spinning resources possess sufficient depth for future challenges. His returns were 1 for 246 in 77 overs in the match—his worst performance on home soil.
Mathews, who made his debut in 2009 on the famous pitch perched beneath the fortress in Galle in 2009, will hang up his boots with over 8,000 runs, after playing his 119th and final Test, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in Sri Lanka's all-time charts - AFP
After securing a slender 10-run first-innings advantage, having dismissed Sri Lanka for 485 runs on the fourth day, Bangladesh constructed their second innings with considerable aplomb. Their batsmen, particularly captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, exhibited remarkable application and technique, accumulating runs with both patience and panache before their eventual declaration on 285-6—a lead of 295 runs. Shanto, who made 148 in the first innings, hit his second century of the match, an unbeaten 125, before ending their innings. This tactical move set Sri Lanka a challenging target of 296 to chase in 37 overs, one they did not risk pursuing.
Mushfiqur Rahim, attempting to steal a quick single, found himself run out for 49—a moment of misfortune for a man who had continued his sublime form from the first innings (163) into the second innings. However, the heavens opened immediately afterwards, effectively ending the first session and providing both teams with an extended break to reassess their strategies.
When play eventually resumed at 2:10pm, the action became far more gripping. Litton Das saw his stumps completely scattered by a magnificent delivery from Tharindu Rathnayake, the debutant spinner who made his mark on the international stage with a decent performance.
The promising newcomer then claimed his second victim of the day when he had Jakar Ali stumped, demonstrating the sort of composure and skill that thoroughly overshadowed his more experienced colleague, Jayasuriya. Rathnayake’s match figures of 6 wickets for 298 runs served as a beacon of hope for Sri Lankan cricket’s future.
In their second innings pursuit, Sri Lanka found themselves stranded at 123-4 when proceedings finally drew to a close at Galle, marking not only the conclusion of the Test match but also the end of Mathews’ distinguished career in the longest format. Having sent both openers back to the pavilion in quick succession in the pre-tea session, Bangladesh were buoyed as they had 29 overs to finish off the Sri Lankan innings in the final session of play.
Despite dismissing both Mathews (8) and Dinesh Chandimal (6) in quick succession, Sri Lanka played out a draw. The second and final game of the series will begin on Wednesday at the SSC ground in Colombo.
| SCORECARD | |
| Bangladesh (1st innings) 495 all out (153.4) (Mushfiqur Rahim 163, Najmul Shanto 148, Litton Das 90, Mominul Haque 29; Asitha Fernando 4/86, Milan Rathnayake 3/39, Tharindu Rathnayake 3/196) Sri Lanka (1st innings) 485 all out (131.2) (Pathum Nissanka 187, Kamindu Mendis 87, Dinesh Chandimal 54, Angelo Mathews 39, Milan Rathnayake 39, Lahiru Udara 29; Nayeem Hasan 5/121, Hasan Mahmud 3/74) Bangladesh (2nd innings) Shadman Islam lbw b M. Rathnayake 76 (Back of a length delivery, pitches outside off, comes back sharply to surprise the batsman) Anamul Haque c Kusal M. b Jayasuriya 04 (Back of a length outside off, tosses up neatly and spins away with a sharp nick of the edge of the bat) Mominul Haque c Udara b T. Rathnayake 14 (Nicely floated, on full length outside off, attempted sweep, top edges) Najmul Shanto not out 125 Ushfiqur Rahim run out 49 (Plays towards mid-on, and charges for a quick run, falls short at bowler’s end) Litton Das b T. Rathnayake 03 (Tossed up outside leg, defends but rips across to touch the top of the stumps) Jaker Ali st Kusal M. b T. Rathnayake 02 (Makes early room down leg, loses balance and misses completely) Nayeem Hasan not out 07 Extras (b4, lb1) 05 Total (6 wickets; 87 overs) 285 decl. Did not bat: Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Anamul, 7.5ov), 2-60 (Haque, 19.6ov), 3-128 (Islam, 44.1ov), 4-237 (Rahim, 75.6ov), 5-241 (Das, 76.6ov), 6-249 (Jaker Ali, 78.6ov) Bowling: Asitha Fernando 8-0-31-0, Prabath Jayasuriya 29-3-92-1, Tharindu Rathnayake 29-1-102-3, Milan Rathnayake 12-4-26-1, Dhananjaya de Silva 8-0-27-0, Kamindu Mendis 1-0-2-0 Sri Lanka (2nd innings) Pathum Nissanka c Shanto b Hasan 24 (Slower delivery back of the length, attempts to play a lower shot but chips it to mid-wicket) Lahiru Udara st Das b Islam 09 (Back of a length on the off against an advancing batsman, who misses with the turn) Dinesh Chandimal b Islam 06 (Travels through on a length on the middle, plays from out of the pitch and is beaten) Angelo Mathews c Haque b Islam 08 (Slid on with the arm, takes inside edhe on to the front pad and pops up to silly point) Kamindu Mendis not out 12 Dhananjaya de Silva not out 12 Extras (lb1) 01 Total (4 wickets; 32 overs) 72 Did not bat: Kusal Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Tharindu Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Udara, 5.6ov), 2-34 (Nissanka, 6.2ov), 3-47 (Mathews, 19.5ov), 4-48 (Chandimal, 23.1ov) Bowling: Hasan Mahmud 3-0-19-0, Taijul Islam 16-6-23-3, Nayeem Hasan 13-4-29-1 |