High-scoring Galle Test ends in draw

The first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh ended in a draw on Tuesday after a high-scoring five days that included eight centuries.

Bangladesh was set a daunting target of 268 runs in 37 overs to win, but they opted for a draw reaching 70 for one when the captains decided to call off the game early.

The game also produced the highest match aggregate for a Test in Sri Lanka, with 1,613 runs scored. The previous mark was 1,489 in the 1997 draw between Sri Lanka and India at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The fifth day saw Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan involved in a record partnership, and both batsmen went on to score centuries.

Sangakkara established a new record for most centuries by a Sri Lankan when he posted his 32nd in the morning session, backing up his 142 in the first innings. He became the fifth Sri Lankan to score centuries in both innings of a Test match after Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinghe, Aravinda de Silva and Dilshan.

Mahmudullah provided the breakthrough after lunch when Sangakkara was spectacularly caught at short mid-wicket to end a 230-run stand.

Mahmudullah finished with three wickets.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who became the first Bangladeshi to score a double hundred in Test cricket, was named Man of the Match.