The new cycle of the ICC World Test Championships (2025-27) got underway today at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. It was Sri Lanka hosting Bangladesh in a 2-Test match series. This is also Angelo Mathews’ farewell Test match. The day started with a felicitation and sending off program from Mathews which was attended by past legends and his teammates. After which play got underway with Bangladesh opting to bat first.
After opting to bat first, Bangladesh suffered a wobble in the first hour losing 3 wickets for 45 runs with the top 3 not contributing much. But the pair of captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and experienced campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim have not only rescued Bangladesh, but have put them in a commanding position at Stumps on Day 1. Both have hundreds under their belt with Shanto on 136* and Rahim on 105* sharing an unbroken 247-run stand for the fourth wicket as Bangladesh ended the day at 292/3 in 90 overs.
Pitch Report and Playing XIS:
“The sun has been playing hide and seek. There was some rain this morning as well. Underneath the pitch seems very hard. No grass on top. The spinners will come into play on the second or third day. Day one belongs to batters. Not much turn expected on Day 1, but later on we expect this to turn,” reckons Farveez Maharoof in his Day 1 Pitch Report.
Playing XIS:
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Nayeem Hasan.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Milan Rathnayake, Thanindu Ratnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando.
Morning Session: Bangladesh’s early collapse; Shanto and Rahim steady ship
It was Bangladesh who won the toss and decided to bat first on a dry looking pitch. But the start from the visitors was far from ideal as Sri Lanka kept things tight and managed to take early wickets. Anamul Haque was the first to go for a 10-ball duck to Asitha Fernando. His opening partner Shadman Islam played out 53 balls to blunt the new ball but could muster only 14 runs.
Shadman Islam was the first victim to debutant Tharindu Ratnayake. Mominul Haque counter-attacked played some good looking shots but he too fell prey to the debutant by playing a bad cut shot that was sharply taken at first slip by Dhananjaya de Silva. Mominul scored 29 off 33 balls laced with 4 boundaries to his name as Bangladesh were reduced to 45/3 in 16.1 overs.
Bangladesh needed a rebuilding job from thereon and it was provided by the experienced pair of captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim. They added 45 more runs in the morning session and looked in control of proceedings. Shanto was unbeaten on 25 while Rahim was unbeaten on 20 as Bangladesh went to Lunch at 90/3 in 28 overs. It was a shared session in which maybe Sri Lanka were slightly the happier side after losing the toss.
Najmul Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim complete fifties in afternoon session
After an even morning session, the afternoon session was going to be crucial for both teams to see who edges ahead in the contest. Sri Lanka deployed their spinners for the majority of the session but could not find any breakthroughs. They had their moments here and there but nothing to trouble the two Bangladeshi batters. They played compact and chanceless knocks.
Both Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim played shots according to the merit of the ball and mixed caution with aggression beautifully. The way they played Sri Lanka’s premier spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was exemplary to say the least. Prabath has a great record at Galle historically but he couldn’t get the better of these two batters.
The left-hand right-hand combination worked wonders for the visitors. Both the players completed their respective fifties as Bangladesh scored 92 runs in 30 overs for the loss of 0 wickets and winning the session hands down. Shanto had taken his score to 70* while Rahim was with him on 66* when the players left for the Tea Break at the score reading 182/3 in 58 overs.
Najmul Shanto and Musfiqur Rahim register their tons
It was critical for Sri Lanka to break this partnership and chip away at the wickets to come back in the game in the final session. The bowlers threw everything at the two Bangladeshi batters but the pair simply could not be dislodged from the crease. It was a session that Bangladesh wanted to win to drive home the advantage and they did exactly that to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.
Sri Lanka threw spin and even Asitha Fernando bowled a decent spell, but the batters were in no mood to let up. Najmul Hossain Shanto was the aggressor of the two initially and completed his hundred first. He brought up his 6th Test hundred and carried on in his merry ways to be unbeaten on 136 off 260 balls.
Najmul Shanto Hossain who got starts in the recently concluded 2-Test series against Zimbabwe converted the start to a big score today. At the other end, Mushfiqur Rahim played it steadily and took his time to get to his hundred. But once he did, he brought out a huge roar in celebration much like Shanto earlier in the day. Rahim completed his 12th Test hundred and remained unbeaten on 105* off 186 balls as Bangladesh ended the day at 292/3 in 90 overs. 8 extras have been conceded by the Sri Lankans so far.
It was a hard toil for the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders after losing the toss. They got early wickets and then had to battle hard through the rest of the day and got no rewards to show for. The first three wickets fell in 16.1 overs after which it was all Bangladesh. What added salt to the wounds for Sri Lanka was the DRS calls they have made so far. They have burnt two reviews and have only one remaining compared to Bangladesh’s 3. A tough Test awaits Sri Lanka on Angelo Mathews’ farewell Test.
What Lies Ahead on Day 2
Bangladesh is in a commanding position and would like to drive home the advantage further when Day 2 starts. At 292/3, they will hope that this pair continues to bat long and others chip in from the lower middle order. The visitors will be aiming to get to 450 at least from this position.
While Sri Lanka will desperately look to start well in the morning session. They will have to first break this partnership and then hope to cause a collapse to restrict the tourists to as low a score as possible. Ideally, they would want to keep them under 400. Rain is always on the radar at Galle, but thankfully it stayed away on the first day.
Here’s hoping it stays away on Day 2 and we get a full day’s play. Will either or both of Shanto and Rahim convert their centuries to a double ton? Or will Sri Lanka come roaring back in the Test match? We will find all these answers when Day 2 commences.
Also Read: SL vs BAN : ICC WTC 2025-27 Kick Starts With Angelo Mathews’ Farewell Series