by 
On the fifth day of the Galle Test, Bangladesh set Sri Lanka a daunting target of 296 runs in 37 overs. Riding on an unbeaten 125 from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh declared their second innings at 285, leaving Sri Lanka with a challenging chase.
Starting the day with a 187-run lead, Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim adopted a cautious approach. However, just before lunch, Mushfiqur was run out for 49, and rain briefly interrupted play. At that point, Shanto was 11 runs short of a century. Displaying patience, he took 22 balls to reach his hundred but unleashed an aggressive 25 runs off just 9 balls afterward.
Despite losing Liton Kumar Das and Zakir Ali Anik to spin, Shanto found able support from Naim Sheikh. With a lead of 295, Shanto called an end to the innings, possibly sensing a chance to push for victory. With rain looming, Bangladesh will aim for aggressive bowling to seal the game. Whether Sri Lanka go for the win or play for a draw remains to be seen.
AI/MR
