Reliving the last 4 Sri Lanka v Bangladesh Test series
In the summer of 2007, the Bangladesh cricket team toured Sri Lanka. They played the hosts in 3 Tests and 3 ODIs, and both series went in Sri Lanka's favour.
Sri Lanka were a top side at the time, even making the World Cup final that year. Bangladesh, on the other hand, were yet to come of age in the international arena despite encouraging performances in the aforementioned World Cup.
For now, the Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka seems like a breath of fresh air for fans of Test cricket. With the IPL season in full swing, this series will see some rare Test match action in the month of April.
These two sides have had mixed results in recent times. But given the competitive nature of the Sri Lankan wickets and the fact that both sides are almost evenly matched, with Sri Lanka only slightly ahead at this point, this could prove to be a competitive series.
1. Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, March 2013
The 2013 Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka marked a change in cricket dynamics between the two teams. While Bangladesh had gotten much better as a team by 2013, they were yet to prove themselves against other Asian sides.
Sri Lanka won the series 1-0 after they won the second encounter courtesy of a 12-wicket haul by Rangana Herath. But this was not before Bangladesh's impressive showing in the first game.
In the first Test at Galle, Sri Lanka chose to bat after winning the toss and posted an imposing total of 570 for 4.
However, Bangladesh came back strong thanks to a Mushfiqur Rahim double hundred (Bangladesh's first-ever double century), a splendid 190 by Mohammad Ashraful, and Nasir Hossain's 100.
The trio helped Bangladesh post an imposing 638. After Sri Lanka batted well in the third innings, the only realistic result possible was a draw. It was the first time Bangladesh had managed to draw a Test against Sri Lanka.
2. Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, January 2014
The Angelo Mathews-led side took on Bangladesh prior to the 2014 Asia Cup. The first Test was as easy as they come for Sri Lanka, as a Mahela Jayawardene double ensured a comfortable innings win for the Sri Lankans.
The second Test at Chattogram once again saw the return of Bangladesh resilience. Kumar Sangakkara's masterful 319 helped Sri Lanka to an imposing 587 in the first innings. In response, Shamsur Rahman and Imrul Kayes scored hundreds, helping Bangladesh post a fighting 426.
Sri Lanka didn't give in and scored 305, in a mere 75 overs, on the back of another wonderful hundred by Kumar Sangakkara. However, Bangladesh then batted out nearly 85 overs to snatch a draw.
The series went 1-0 in Sri Lanka's favour, but Bangladesh had proven their mettle.
3. Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, March 2017
This was perhaps one of the strongest Bangladeshi teams to tour Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were still in the middle of a rebuild.
Sri Lanka were still able to hold their own in the first Test at Galle. Kusal Mendis set the tone with an excellent 194, helping Sri Lanka to 494. Bangladesh got off to a strong start thanks to fifties from Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar. Lower down the order, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 85, but Sri Lanka still came away with a 182-run lead.
In the second innings, Sri Lanka scored 274 runs and set Bangladesh a target of 457 to win the Test. Bangladesh then fell to some Rangana Herath magic and lost the game by 259 runs.
In the second Test at Colombo, Bangladesh fought back hard to make history.
The game was the team's 100th Test, and they marked the occasion with a performance for the ages. The bowlers all contributed in restricting Sri Lanka to a modest 338 in the first innings. In response, Bangladesh got to 467 in their first innings, with Shakib Al Hasan scoring a hundred and Mossadek Hossain and Soumya Sarkar both scoring fifties.
Sri Lanka batted well in their second essay, but Shakib Al Hasan's four-wicket haul ensured that Bangladesh needed a gettable 191 to win the game.
Though Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath threatened to spoil the party, Bangladesh won the game by 4 wickets. This was Bangladesh's first Test win against Sri Lanka, and the series ended 1-1.
4. Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, Jan-Feb 2018
The first Test between the two teams in their 2018 series was a draw. Bangladesh helped themselves to 513 on a flat deck, with Mominul Haque scoring 176 runs.
Kusal Mendis missed out on yet another double hundred, ending up with 196 in Sri Lanka's mammoth total of 713/9. Bangladesh batted out another 100 overs to make sure that they didn't lose the game.
The second Test, played on a turner in Dhaka, went in Sri Lanka's favour. Sri Lanka scored 222 on the back of fifties by Kusal Mendis and Roshen Silva. Bangladesh were miserable in their reply, scoring only 110, with Akila Dananjaya, Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal running through their line-up.
With a handy lead on a tricky wicket, Sri Lanka bolstered their chances further with a hard-fought 226 in their second innings. Bangladesh fell apart once again, and Sri Lanka won the Test by 215 runs and the series 1-0.