Bangladesh set 296 run target for Sri Lanka in first Test

Bangladesh declared their second innings at 285 for 6 on the final day of the first Test, setting Sri Lanka a target of 296 runs for victory at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka were left with a little over one-and-a-half sessions to chase down the target on a pitch that continued to offer minimal assistance to bowlers.

The declaration was anchored by a stellar performance from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who remained unbeaten on 125. Following his first-innings knock of 148, Shanto achieved the rare feat of scoring centuries in both innings of a Test for the second time in his career, having previously done so against Afghanistan in 2023.

With this achievement, Shanto becomes only the 14th player in Test cricket history to score twin centuries in a match on more than one occasion, and the 16th captain to do so in a single Test.

Resuming the day on 177 for 4 with a lead of 187, Bangladesh started cautiously, as Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim focused on consolidating the innings rather than pushing aggressively for a result. Rain interrupted play for nearly an hour, further limiting Bangladesh’s window for building a lead.

Before the rain delay, Mushfiqur was run out for 49 while attempting a quick single—leaving Shanto to anchor the innings alone.

After the resumption, Shanto shifted gears, launching a counterattack against the Sri Lankan bowlers. Despite losing Liton Das and Jaker Ali Anik cheaply, the skipper pressed on and brought up his seventh Test century in style—nudging a single with a reverse sweep off Tharindu Rathnayake.

He later went on a brief assault, hammering Rathnayake for three consecutive sixes to push Bangladesh's lead closer to the 300-mark before the declaration was made.

Shanto finished unbeaten on 125 off 199 balls, laced with nine boundaries and three sixes. Rathnayake was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, returning figures of 3 for 102.

With little time left in the match and a moderate target to chase, the final session promises an intriguing finish.