SL vs BAN 2nd Test Review - Praveen Jayawickrama steers Sri Lanka to a 209-run win

Sri Lanka sealed the two-match home-Test series against Bangladesh 1-0 with an emphatic 209-run win in the final Test at the Pallekele International Stadium at Kandy. After the first Test at the same venue had ended in a sleepy draw, both the teams had a chance to clinch the decider and the hosts managed that quite convincingly, winning the game by a considerable margin.

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka had posted a massive total of 493/7 declared in the first innings that came on the back of brilliant centuries from both the openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne. While Karunatne followed his double-century from the first Test with a 118-run knock with 15 fours, Thirimanne played another marathon knock, scoring 140 from 298 balls with as many fours.

Making valuable contributions from Oshada Fernando (81 from 221), a counterattacking 77 off 72 fromNiroshan Dickwella, and thirties from Pathum Nissanka and Ramesh Mendis in the lower order had put the home side in dominating position. In response, Tamim Iqbal did show some resistance in his 150-ball 92 at the top of the order but the highest score after his knock was only 49 from skipper Mominul Haque as Bangladesh was dismissed for 251 with debutant Praveen Jayawickrama bagging 6/92.

While Taijul Islam troubled the hosts thoroughly, bagging a fifer, Sri Lanka managed to post 194/9 with Karunaratne’s 66 and Dhananajaya de Silva (41) alongside a couple of contributions from Nissanka and Dickwella, who got 24 each. Having conceded a giant 242-run lead in the first innings, Bangladesh was set a massive target of 437 runs to win the Test after Sri Lanka declared at 194/9.

The whole of the top-order got their eyes in and stood in the middle but none of them could stay for too long with Jayawickrama adding 5 more scalps to his six-wicket haul from the first innings to take his tally to 11, while Ramesh Mendis picking 4 wickets alongside him to dismiss the visitors for 227 in 71 overs to register a 209-run win. Debutant Jayawickrama was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 11-wicket haul, while Dimuth Karunaratne the Player of the Series for his tally of 428 runs at 142.66, 2 centuries, and one half-century.