Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in 2021-22

Test matches (2): Bangladesh 0 (4pts), Sri Lanka 1 (16pts)

The Sri Lankans had left behind a country on the edge of economic meltdown. So a series win offered a welcome distraction for those back home enduring long queues for basic necessities, or protesting against government corruption - provided they could negotiate the power cuts to follow the action.

In April, two months after he was sacked by England, Sri Lanka Cricket appointed Chris Silverwood on a two-year deal, making him their eighth coach in 11 years. A week later, they named Naveed Nawaz - the former Sri Lankan Test batsman who in 2020 had guided Bangladesh to glory at the Under-19 World Cup - as his assistant. With his vast knowledge of Sri Lankan and Bangladesh cricket, Nawaz would be Silverwood's secret weapon on his first assignment.

Sri Lanka included four uncapped players (though none made a debut) and recalled four more to a squad showing many changes after a drubbing in India in March. It meant Dimuth Karunaratne would have an inexperienced attack, particularly in pace bowling. As it turned out, though, it was the seamers - Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando in particular - who delivered victory.

On the Test leg of their trip to South Africa, Bangladesh had been bowled out for 53 and 80. But former captain and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who had missed that series because several members of his family were in hospital with Covid, was now back. As well as strengthening the batting, he would shore up an attack missing the pace of Taskin Ahmed and the off-spin of Mehedi Hasan, both injured. Less than a week before the series began, Shakib himself tested positive - only for another test, two days before the first match, to prove negative.

Coach Russell Domingo warned of post-Covid exhaustion, but Shakib had no such doubts. The pitch for the First Test, at Chittagong, was a batter's dream. Angelo Mathews hit a commanding 199 to hold Sri Lanka together, while Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim responded with centuries. These two were vying to become the first Bangladeshi to 5,000 Test runs. When Tamim was out for 133, he was still 19 short - but Mushfiqur's 105 took him past the landmark. The game ended in a draw.

Just after the start of the Second Test at Mirpur. Kamil Mishara, a 21-year-old batter who had made his international debut in February, was sent home by SLC after he had "entertained a visitor" in his hotel room. On the field, matters went more smoothly for Sri Lanka. The new-ball pair of Rajitha - who in the First Test had played as a concussion substitute for Vishwa Fernando - and Asitha Fernando reduced Bangladesh to 24 for five. But the hosts recovered in extraordinary fashion thanks to hundreds from Mushfiqur and Liton Das.

Sri Lanka, however, had their own two centurions, Mathews and Chandimal. Asitha then took six wickets in the second innings, and became only the second Sri Lankan fast bowler to take ten in a Test. Sri Lanka ran out comfortable winners, giving Bangladesh a significant headache just before a trip to the West Indies.