Bangladesh off-spinner Nayeem Hasan took five wickets to halt Sri Lanka’s first-innings charge as they were dismissed for 485 in the post-lunch session on the fourth day of the first Test in Galle yesterday.
Nayeem took 5-121 and was well supported by Hasan Mahmud, who finished with 3-74, giving the visitors a 10-run lead after they made 495 in their first innings.
With the pitch finally offering turn and bounce, Nayeem made the most of the conditions, the hosts having looked firmly in command at the end of day three.
Photo: AFP
Sri Lanka looked set for a useful lead after the first session of the fourth day, reaching 465-6 with Kamindu Mendis and Milan Rathnayake stitching a gritty 84-run stand for the seventh wicket.
The hosts lost the momentum with a lower-order collapse after lunch. The breakthrough came when Rathnayake, who had shown commendable defiance for his 39, was undone by a delivery from Mahmud that sneaked through off an inside edge. Kamindu followed in the next over, falling to Nayeem’s off-spin as the ball kicked off the surface and caught the left-hander by surprise.
Kamindu scored a composed 87 — with eight fours and a six — and fell just short of a third hundred against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka’s lower order folded within the next few overs with Nayeem removing debutant Tharindu Rathnayake for nought with a sharp off-break that went through the gate.
It reduced the hosts to 471-9, losing three wickets for just one run in 10 deliveries. Nayeem also removed Asitha Fernando to close Sri Lanka’s innings.
With the pitch crumbling, Sri Lanka’s spinners would be in the game early, but even a small Bangladesh score could be a challenging target in the fourth innings for the hosts. The Galle cricket ground saw its last draw more than a decade ago, between both these sides in 2013.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS