Tait rues new-ball miss as Nissanka punishes Bangladesh

Bangladesh pace bowling coach Shaun Tait said on Thursday (June 19) that the team could have done better with the first new ball as Sri Lanka replied strongly to Bangladesh's 495, ending Day 3 on 368 for 4. The Bangladesh pacers hardly looked threatening as Sri Lanka fared well with the bat, with Pathum Nissanka's 187 off 256 balls being the highlight of the home team's innings.

"It is a good batting wicket. It was difficult conditions for fast bowlers today. They toiled hard. They gave effort. We could have started better with the first new ball. We probably missed out. They know that. That's all you can ask for. You bowl on a different day on a different wicket, you get a different result," Tait said.

"We batted for two days. It is one of those good batting wickets and I think the wicket is pretty good. It has stayed similar. It hasn't changed a great deal," he said. "Today was a good batting day, we saw that. It probably hasn't spun as much as maybe people thought it would on the third day. Normally Galle starts to turn a bit more. It turned a little but nothing significant. There's still a couple of days left. Test cricket can change pretty quickly. There's hard work to be done."

Tait backed Nahid Rana despite the bowler conceding 80 runs in 16 overs without picking up any wicket. "Anyone that bowls that pace, he should get the new ball from time to time. I don't know, going forward, who is going to take the new ball. This is my first Test match (as fast bowling coach). We have two fast bowlers. He has to take the new ball. He is absolutely fine (taking the new ball). I think this is his eighth Test. It is early in his career. He burst onto the scene.

"There's a lot of attention and expectation on him. I don't know if Bangladesh have ever had a fast bowler as exciting as him. There's a little bit of pressure on him from the media and public. It is up to me to work through that with him, as the bowling coach. It is not just about the bowling all the time. It is also how you deal with the extra pressure of being a young superstar," he said.

Meanwhile, Nissanka said he was disappointed for missing out on a well deserved double century, that was denied by Hasan Mahmud with the second new ball. "I was disappointed with the way I got out. I knew I had to see off the new ball, but I thought the shot was on. It was a good piece of bowling as well," said Nissanka regarding the ball that that nipped through sharply to end his long stay.

"There's always a tomorrow. We have another Test coming and we'll see," he said. "This is my first Test hundred at home so I was very happy to get there. Since scoring a hundred in England, the big runs had eluded me, so I was trying to make the most today."