Playing their 100th Test match, Bangladesh created history at Colombo as they registered their first win over Sri Lanka in this particular format. For Bangladesh, this victory will be immortalised for several reasons, but the fact that it was a victory over a subcontinent giant, will make it even more special. In the near future, touring teams could well be under threat against a spirited Bangladesh side.
Sri Lankan skipper Rangana Herath however, was least satisfied by his team’s performance in the fourth innings, as the 39-year-old felt that the target should have been defended. Needing 191 to win, the visitors were powered by an enigmatic half century from Tamim Iqbal, before skipper Mushfiqur Rahim finished off things.
“I really thought that we could defend it because we have played games with India and Pakistan and defended low scores,” Herath said post Sri Lanka’s loss.
“We also had three spinners. When we got two early wickets, I felt the same way, but after lunch, they were in an attacking mood and scored some quick runs. That’s where the match slipped from us in the fourth innings.”
“I thought we made too many mistakes while fielding and batting,” Herath added. “We dropped a couple of crucial catches and that was the main reason for us to lose the match. Shakib’s catch was especially bad because he went on to a century. With a team this competitive, we can’t let the little mistakes like that that come into our game.”
The left arm spinner, though, credited Bangladesh for improving immensely as a Test side. “Bangladesh have certainly improved a lot. Earlier when they got partnerships going, we would put pressure on them, and they wouldn’t be able to handle that. This team tries to stay in the game a lot more, and now they counter our plans. They have been very clever.”