Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 209 runs in the second Test to clinch the two-match series 1-0; debutant Praveen Jayawickrama took 5-85 in the second innings to finish with 11 wickets in the match, the best return for a Sri Lankan on debut
Monday 3 May 2021 13:36, UK
Praveen Jayawickrama took a match haul of 11 wickets on debut to help Sri Lanka clinch a series win over Bangladesh with a 209-run victory in the second Test.
Sri Lanka needed five wickets for victory on the final day and Jayawickrama accounted for three of them to finish with combined figures of 11-178.
It was the 10th-best return by a Test bowler on debut and the best by a Sri Lankan, improving on Akila Dananjaya's 8-44 against Bangladesh three years ago.
After trapping Liton Das for 17 in his second over of the morning with an arm ball, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner claimed the last two Bangladeshi wickets in the space of three deliveries to finish with 5-85 in the second innings to back up his first-innings effort of 6-92.
Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who was voted player of the series after scoring 428 runs including a double-century, century and a half-century in three innings, described the performance of inexperienced spinners Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis as fantastic.
"At a time when we didn't have anyone experienced, they came and bowled like experienced players, and performed their roles as they should," he said. "Praveen did his job perfectly well. He played like a bowler who had more than his 10 first-class matches.
"It's a great sign for the future of our Test cricket. The seniors just gave them confidence. Some players can panic at times when they come into the Test arena [but] Praveen absorbed pressure really well."
Bangladesh lost their last three wickets within eight balls to be bowled out for 227.
Off-spinner Mendis finished with four wickets, complementing the orthodox spin of Jayawickrama, who flighted the ball, found drift and a lot of assistance from a crumbling wicket.
The two front-line spinners shared the bulk of the bowling, sending down 60 overs in the second innings and claiming nine wickets between them.
Bangladesh's batters struggled, with Mushfiqur Rahim top-scoring with 40.
Bangladesh had been bowled out for 251 in their first innings in reply to Sri Lanka's 493-7. Despite a first-innings lead of 242, Sri Lanka did not enforce the follow-on, instead batting again and declaring on 194-9 to set Bangladesh a target of 437.
It was Sri Lanka's first Test win in more than a year, ending a run of eight Tests without a victory. The first Test in this series had ended a draw.
