Dimuth Karunaratne said that Sri Lanka were frustrated after failing to push for a win on the final day of the opening Test against Bangladesh on Sunday (February 4), citing that the wicket was not ideal for Test cricket with nothing in it for the bowlers.
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Sri Lanka started the final day with a realistic chance of earning a win with the hosts trailing by 119 runs having been reduced to 81 for 3 in their second innings. However, a brilliant batting display by Mominul Haque and Liton Das kept the tourists at bay for long, eventually doing enough damage for the match to end in a draw.
The diminutive left-hander struck 105 off 174 balls to go with his 176 in the first innings, as he helped Bangladesh reach 307 for 5 before the two teams called for a draw with an hour left.
Things could have been otherwise if Bangladesh had lost wickets early in the morning but Mominul’s second ton of the game and his fantastic stand with Liton ensured that the visitors wouldn’t be allowed to run through their batting lineup. Mominul and Liton Das, who fell six runs short of his maiden Test century, killed any interest that there was for the tourists, with their 180-run fourth-wicket stand.
Read : Bangladesh hold on to a tame draw
Earlier, Sri Lanka held a 200-run first-innings lead after posting a mammoth 713 for 9, in reply to Bangladesh’s 513. “Bangladesh put up 500-plus on the board but our batters showed a lot of character to put up 700-plus on the board. The boys did well to put them under pressure on this wicket by getting a big score,” Karunaratne told reporters after the draw. I don’t think this is a good wicket for Test cricket because already 1,500 runs have been scored. I think there needs to be something for the bowlers as well,” added Karunaratne.
“Normally in subcontinent, there is some turn [on] in the fourth and fifth day. Here there wasn’t much turn or bounce. Batsmen can play big shots off the back foot as well. Once he gets set, he can get a really big one on this wicket. There were a lot of big runs in the scorecard.
“I am hopeful we get a 50-50 wicket in the next Test,” he said.
Karunaratne heaped praises on Mominul for his remarkable batting in both the innings and said his partnership with Liton Das set the tone of the match. “Credit goes to Mominul for the way he batted in both innings. On the fifth day, the morning session was crucial. If we had couple of wickets, we had a chance,” said Karunaratne. “Mominul and Liton did really well. There was nothing for the bowlers. There was no turn or bounce; it was a bit slow. The batters can really play their natural game.
“I think on the fifth day we hoped to get couple of wickets in the morning session, to put them under pressure. They didn’t throw away their wickets. There wasn’t any help for our bowlers, but it is part of the game.”
Karunaratne also rued the opportunity of being able to gift his countrymen a win on their Independence day. “It would have been a good one [win] for all Sri Lankans because it is our Independence Day. [But] We have to get the wickets as well and the bowlers had to really work hard to get wickets. We tried everything. The wicket only helped the batsmen, who got lots of runs.”
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