Akila Dananjaya finished with 8 wickets from his debut match AFP
Akila Dananjaya finished with 8 wickets from his debut match AFP

Akila Dananjaya‘s stunning show handed Sri Lanka a 215-run victory on Day Three of the second Test against Bangladesh. After a drawn Test in Chittagong, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh gave each other a tough competition in the decider at Dhaka where bowlers dominated. Sri Lanka put up 222 in the first innings and bundled the hosts for 110 to take the lead. They then posted a 339-run target, scoring 226 in the following innings, while Dananjaya’s 5-for rattled Bangladesh, bowling them out for 123.

Apart from Kusal Mendis and Roshen Silva, the Sri Lanka batsmen faltered on a fresh Dhaka pitch as spinners shone from the very beginning. Abdur Razzak put up a powerful performance on his comeback, bagging 4 wickets in the first innings and was complemented well by Taijul Islam who picked up as many wickets. Mendis and Silva both scored half-centuries to give some runs for their bowlers to defend.

However, Bangladesh put up an even disappointing batting performance, collapsing for 110. Mehedi Hasan was the highest run-getter with 38 runs; Suranga Lakmal and Dananjaya bagged 3-for each.

There was no change in scenario in the two following innings. Sri Lanka’s top order faltered again and Roshen Silva came to the rescue. He scored yet another half-century and remained unbeaten on 70, while his teammates gave away wickets at regular interval. Roshen’s knock pushed Bangladesh’s target to 339. Taijul finished with 8 wickets from the match.

Under pressure, the hosts failed to produce any significant performance. Mominul Haque survived the third day of the Test but could not contribute more than 33, which was the highest by any batsman in the innings. Only four batsmen managed double-digit scores. Post lunch, Dananajaya ran through the middle and lower order, bagging 5 wickets from the innings. He thus became the third Sri Lanka cricketer to pick a 5-for on Test debut and contributed majorly as Sri Lanka defeated the hosts to win the series 1-0. Meanwhile Herath, who took 4 wickets in the innings, became the highest wicket-taking left-hand bowler in Tests, with 415 wickets.

Roshen Silva was named the Man of the Series for his consistent performance.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 222 and 226 won against Bangladesh 110 and 123 (Mominul Haque 33, Mushfiqur Rahim 25; Rangana Hearath 4 for 49, Akila Dananjaya 5 for 24) by 215 runs.

Full scorecard