Sri Lanka required merely 28 minutes on the fourth morning to secure the last four wickets of Bangladesh, thereby concluding the match with a victory by an innings and 78 runs. This marked Sri Lanka’s ninth innings win against Bangladesh, granting them the series 1-0 along with vital points in the World Test Championship. Prabath Jayasuriya was the primary contributor to this success, with valuable support from wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, who had been sidelined the previous day due to a shoulder injury, achieving figures of 5 for 56, marking his 12th five-wicket haul in Test matches.
Bangladesh's batting debacle explained
In his first over of the day, it took Jayasuriya merely three deliveries to induce an edge from Litton Das’ forward defence, with Kusal successfully holding onto a sharp catch. In his subsequent over, he faced Nayeem Hasan, who attempted to drive a delivery that was tossed up on off, only for it to dip and evade him. Nayeem, having slid his back foot out of the crease during the attempt, was unable to return in time before Kusal dislodged the bails.
Jayasuriya achieved his five-wicket haul by catching a return delivery to his right, as Taijul Islam produced a leading edge while trying to play a shot through midwicket. Tharindu Ratnayake then joined the action, trapping Ebadot Hossain in front of middle in the very next over, leading to Bangladesh’s collapse just 34 balls into the morning session. This performance marked Jayasuriya’s best against Bangladesh, representing a welcome return for Sri Lanka’s leading spinner, who had gone wicketless in the first innings and had only taken one wicket in Galle.
Overall, nine wickets fell to spin during the innings, with Tharindu and Dhananjaya de Silva each claiming two wickets alongside Jayasuriya’s five. However, Bangladesh will undoubtedly feel that they lost control of the match during the first innings, when a subpar batting display, compounded by some loose bowling, enabled Sri Lanka to seize a commanding advantage in the game.
Pathum Nisanka's role in Sri Lanka's victory
While the spinners concluded the match for the hosts, it was Pathum Nissanka who was awarded Player of the Match for his remarkable 158 runs off 254 balls. Nissanka also secured the Player of the Series accolade after scoring 187 in the first Test.
The foundation of Sri Lanka’s victory was primarily established by their batsmen. After dismissing Bangladesh for 247 on Day 1, the home team responded with vigor. Pathum Nissanka spearheaded the innings with an impressive 158, while Dinesh Chandimal (93) and Kusal Mendis (84) contributed significantly to extend the lead beyond 200.
From that point onward, it was merely a matter of time. Bangladesh appeared to lack control in their second innings, and following a series of wickets on Day 3, the conclusion arrived swiftly on the fourth morning. Litton’s dismissal initiated the final collapse, with Nayeem Hasan falling victim to a clever stumping, Taijul Islam returning a catch to Jayasuriya, and Ebadot’s unsuccessful review for a clear lbw doing little to postpone the inevitable.
SCORECARD: Sri Lanka 458 (Nissanka 158, Chandimal 93, Kusal 84, Taijul 5-131) beat Bangladesh 247 (Shadman 46, Dinusha 3-22, Asitha 3-51) and 133 (Mushfiqur 26, Jayasuriya 5-56) by an innings and 78 runs
