Sri Lanka v Bangladesh 1st Test: Herath helps SL win

First Test scores (Galle)

Sri Lanka won by 259 runs 

Sri Lanka 1st inns: 494 (K Mendis 194, Gunaratne 85, Dickwella 75, Perera 51; Mehedi 4-113)

Sri Lanka 2nd innings: 274-6 (Tharanga 115, Chandimal 50 no; Miraz 2-77, Hasan 2-104)

Bangladesh 1st inns: 312 (Rahim 85, Sarkar 71, Tamim 57, Miraz 41; Perera 3-53, Herath 3-72)

Bangladesh 2nd inns: 197 (Sarkar 53; Herath 6-59)

Day five report

Rangana Herath became the most successful left-arm spinner in test cricket as Sri Lanka secured a comfortable victory over Bangladesh in Galle.

Herath took six for 59 as the home side won by 259 runs on the final day of the first Test, with Bangladesh dismissed for 197 in their second innings.

Herath has now taken 366 wickets in 79 Tests, surpassing Daniel Vettori's tally of 362 in 113.

Chasing an improbable 457 to win, the visitors began the fifth day on 67 without loss and hoping the weather would aid their cause, but could only survive until the middle of the afternoon session.

Soumya Sarkar, who had compiled a quickfire half-century on Friday evening, was dismissed off the second ball of the day, Asela Gunaratne spinning one past the opener's defence to clip the off stump.

Mominul Haque then made just five before being trapped lbw by Dilruwan Perera for the second time in the match, with Perera then having Tamim Iqbal caught behind for 19.

Herath got in on the action with two wickets in three balls, Shakib Al Hasan being caught at leg slip before Mahmudullah was lbw for a two-ball duck.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das dug in to provide some much-needed resistance and a 54-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but Rahim then chased a wide delivery down the legside from Lakshan Sandakan and was caught behind.

Das lasted just three more overs before being caught at cover to give Herath his record-breaking wicket, but the Sri Lankan captain was not done there and quickly wrapped up the tail by dismissing Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.

"I would say (it's) kind of a big achievement," Herath said in quotes reported on espncricinfo.com. "But I must thank every single person who has supported me - the support staff, my family - I want to say thank you to all of them.

"Everybody chipped in and I must congratulate everyone because it is a team effort."

Day four report

Upul Tharanga hit a century as Sri Lanka closed in on victory on day four of the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle.

The hosts had dismissed the Tigers for 312 on day three to secure a 182-run first-innings lead, and they extended their advantage to 456 before declaring on 274 for six.

Bangladesh reached 67 without loss before bad light ended play, leaving them needing another 390 runs for an improbable victory. No team has ever successfully chased a three-figure score in the fourth innings at Galle.

With rain forecast for Saturday, the weather may well see the visitors escape with a draw.

Opener Tharanga struck 115 from 171 deliveries as the 32-year-old registered a third Test ton and Dinesh Chandimal also weighed in with an unbeaten 50 as the game drifted away from the tourists.

Dimuth Karunaratne fell to Taskin Ahmed for 32 in the morning session and Kusal Mendis became Shakib Al Hasan's first victim on 19, but Tharanga and Chandimal shared a 64-run stand for the third wicket.

Tharanga was bowled by spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz after hitting 11 fours and two sixes, and Asela Gunaratne was cleaned up by Shakib in the next over.

Niroshan Dickwella also fell cheaply - caught behind off Mehedi - but Dilruwan Perera hit a quickfire 33 to set up the declaration.

Tamim Iqbal knuckled down to grind out 13 from 44 deliveries before stumps, but opening partner Soumya Sarkar threw caution to the wind in thrashing 53 from 47 balls, including six fours and a six off Rangana Herath.

Day three report

Sri Lanka established a healthy first-innings lead in the first Test against Bangladesh but bad weather frustrated their attempts to make further progress on day three in Galle.

Just 51.2 overs were possible as storms brought an early end to proceedings but that was still enough time for the hosts to take eight wickets and dismiss the Tigers for 312 - a deficit of 182.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim (pictured) top scored for his side with 85 in more than four hours at the crease, while opener Soumya Sarkar added just five more runs to his overnight 66.

Sri Lanka looked to have an even tighter grip on the tourists when an early flurry of wickets left them to 192 for six but Mushfiqur dug deep alongside Mehedi Hasan Miraz to put on 106 for the seventh wicket.

Dilruwan Perera finally prised the pair apart, winning a straightforward back-leg lbw against Miraz and seeing off Taskin Ahmed with his next delivery.

Rangana Herath ended Mushfiqur's stay soon after, bowled through the gate advancing down the track, and both he and Perera finished with three wickets.

Sri Lanka never got to start their second innings, denied by rain, and with more storms forecast for day four they may need to act quickly when they do resume. 

Day two report

Kusal Mendis missed out on a double-century but Sri Lanka still made 494 to take control of the first Test against battling Bangladesh.

Mendis fell for 194 but fifties from Niroshan Dickwella and Dilruwan Perera ensured his efforts were not wasted.

Tamim Iqbal, whose excellent catch ended Mendis' innings, hit his 21st Test half-century and Soumya Sarkar his second as Bangladesh reached stumps on 133 for two in Galle.

Sri Lanka resumed in the morning on 321 for four, with Mendis on 166 having been caught behind off a no-ball first ball.

He added another 28, six of them when Mustafizur Rahman trod on the boundary rope taking a catch, before attempting to reach 200 with another maximum.

This time he reckoned without the clear head of Tamim, who caught the ball, threw it in the air before crossing the boundary, and stepped back inside the rope to complete the catch.

Dickwella made a rapid 75 and Perera added 51 before both fell to Mehedi Hasan Miraz (four for 113) and the tail subsided as the innings surprisingly fell short of 500.

Bangladesh's openers put on 118 before Tamim bizarrely gave his wicket away, run out by wicketkeeper Dickwella for 57 after setting off aimlessly down the wicket in the confusion of a caught-behind appeal down the leg side.

Mominul Haque quickly followed, lbw to Perera for seven, but Sarkar remained unbeaten on 66 at the close. 

Day one report

Kusal Mendis needed an early slice of luck en route to an unbeaten 166 as Sri Lanka enjoyed a commanding start to the first Test against Bangladesh.

The hosts chose to bat first in Galle and reached stumps on 321 for four, with more than half of those runs coming from Mendis' bat.

But it might easily have been a different story, with 22-year-old almost bagging a golden duck.

Having just dismissed Upul Tharanga, Subashis Roy found Mendis' outside edge with the very next ball but his ecstatic celebrations were cut short when it turned out he had overstepped.

The belated no-ball call gave Mendis a second life and he cashed in to the maximum, staying in place until the close with 18 fours and two sixes to his name.

Bangladesh kept the scoring to a crawl and added the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne - bowled by Mehedi Hasan Miraz - before lunch, which Sri Lanka took at 61 for two.

Dinesh Chandimal's dismissal for five by Mustafizar Rahman turned matters further in the tourists' favour but Mendis and new partner Asela Gunaratne shored things up with some neat counter-attacking cricket.

Together they put on 196 runs for the fourth wicket, occupying exactly 43 overs, before Gunaratne succumbed to the new ball and dragged Taskin Ahmed into his stumps.

Mendis brought up his century by drilling Soumya Sarkar back down the ground for four before clubbing Shakib Al Hasan and Miraz for maximums.

Niroshan Dickwella made an unbeaten 14 at the other end and the pair will resume building towards a considerable platform on day two.