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A dismal batting display handed Bangladesh a heavy defeat by an innings and 78 runs in the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. With this defeat, they lost the series to the hosts 1-0.
After piling up a competitive 458 in reply to Bangladesh’s first-innings 247, Sri Lanka’s bowlers skittled the visitors for just 133 in their second innings, with left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya claiming 5 for 56.
Bangladesh were at 115 for six at the end of day three. On the fourth morning, they survived only 34 balls.
Off the third ball of the day, Litton Das fell to Prabath Jayasuriya for 14. In his next over, Prabath dismissed Nayeem Hasan for 5. On both occasions, Kusal Mendis took sharp catches behind the stumps.
Prabath didn’t stop there. In his next over, he bagged the wicket of Taijul Islam and completed his five-for in the Test. Of the four wickets that fell on the fourth day, he scalped three.
The margin of defeat reflected the gap between the two sides, particularly after Sri Lanka’s top order laid the foundation with the bat.
Pathum Nissanka, who scored a stunning 187 in the first match, starred with 158 off 254 balls — his highest Test score — while Dinesh Chandimal (93) and Kusal Mendis (84) added further pain to Bangladesh’s bowlers.
Taijul, though, stood out for the visitors with 5 for 131 but lacked consistent support at the other end.
Facing a daunting deficit of 211 runs, Bangladesh folded tamely in their second innings. Their top order once again failed to deliver, with only Mushfiqur Rahim (26) offering brief resistance.
Prabath spun through the middle and lower order, supported by Dhananjaya de Silva (2 for 13) and Tharindu Ratnayake (2 for 19), as Bangladesh were bowled out in 44.2 overs, UNB reports.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first but never looked in control. Despite a gritty 46 from Shadman Islam and some lower-order contributions, they could only manage 247.
Sri Lanka's response with the bat, led by Nissanka, completely took the game away from the visitors.
This series was the first contest for both teams in the new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. While Sri Lanka made a great start, Bangladesh will have to wait to register their first win.
With the Test series now concluded, both teams will look ahead to the three-match ODI series, starting on July 2, with the remaining matches on July 5 and 8.