Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella after the draw.© AFP
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka drew the first Test in Chittagong on Thursday after Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella held the visitors in a vital seventh-wicket stand. On the fifth and final day, the two teams tied at 260-6 in their second innings 45 minutes before the scheduled end of the game with Sri Lanka. Dickwella was unbeaten at 61 alongside Chandimal at 39 not out at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Hosts Bangladesh made 465 in their first innings answering Sri Lanka’s 397, while Tamim Iqbal (133) and Mushfiqur Rahim (105) starred.
Angelo Mathews hit 199 and formed the backbone of the Sri Lankan first innings and Nayeem Hasan claimed 6-105 for Bangladesh.
On Thursday, left-arm spin duo Taijul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan had given Bangladesh hope for victory with early strikes before Chandimal and Dickwella thwarted the home side.
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne made 52 from 138 before giving a flyout to his counterpart Mominul Haque at midwicket at Taijul.
Shakib soon had Dhananjaya de Silva out for 33 from 60 balls when Mushfiqur Rahim took the catch, also at midwicket, leaving Sri Lanka to falter 161-6.
Dickwella swept the next ball high, but Taijul could only put a finger on it by square foot. After the fright, he and Chandimal dug in at the crease before and after the tea break.
Taijul struck twice in the morning session after Sri Lanka started aggressively and resumed at 39-2.
Taijul threw Kusal Mendis for 48, then cleared first-innings captain Mathews for a duck, caught and pitched.
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Taijul was the bowlers’ choice with innings figures of 4-82.
Bangladesh fell one bowler short on day five after pacer Shoriful Islam was excluded from the series of two tests after a blow to the hand while batting on Wednesday.
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