Tait rues new-ball miss as Nissanka punishes Bangladesh

BANGLADESH TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2025

By Atif Azam • Jun 19 Thu 2025

Shaun Tait, Bangladesh's pace bowling coach, expressed his disappointment on Thursday (June 19) regarding the team's performance with the new ball. This came after Sri Lanka responded strongly to Bangladesh's first innings total of 495, ending Day 3 at 368 for 4. The Bangladesh pacers struggled to make an impact as Sri Lanka's batting lineup, led by Pathum Nissanka's impressive 187 off 256 balls, dominated the day.

Bangladesh pace bowling coach Shaun Tait said the team could have done better with the new ball © AFP

Tait acknowledged the favorable batting conditions, stating, "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."

He further commented on the nature of the pitch: "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 also expressed his support for Nahid Rana, despite the bowler's expensive spell of 80 runs in 16 overs without taking a 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."

He added, "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 voiced his disappointment at missing out on a double century, after being dismissed 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.

"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."