‘Bangladesh made us work really hard’
Despite the initial pressure from Bangladesh, Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella dug deep to eventually draw the first Test of the two-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday.
Dickwella remained unbeaten on 61 and Chandimal was not out on 31 runs as the pair frustrated the Bangladeshi bowlers after being reduced to 161 for 6 and showed great patience to negotiate the spinners.
"It was a batting-friendly wicket, but Bangladesh made us work really hard. Credit should go to them, they didn't give us any freebies and made us work for our runs." player-of-the-match Matthews said during the post-match presentation ceremony yesterday.
It was Matthews who struck a magnificent hundred in the first innings as the right-hander became the 12th batter in Test cricket to be dismissed on 199 runs. He fell at the bowling of Nayeem Hasan as Sri Lanka posted 397 in the first innings.
According to the 34-year-old, it was disappointing to miss out on the double hundred and said that he just wanted to take that single and go off the strike.
"Yeah it was disappointing, but once again it's cricket and you got to take what God gives you. I just wanted to get one run and get off strike," Mathews said.
Comments