By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka swept to a magnificent champagne 328-run routing of Bangladesh in the first of the 2-off test match with seamers Kasun Rajitha claiming four of the remaining five wickets and Lahiru Kumara the final one consuming 36.2 overs in all on the penultimate day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today.
The triumph was the first overseas one under the leadership of Dhananjaya de Silva for whom it held out a special significance of leading from the front in batting his side out of trouble by a fighting century when the chips were down after half the side was back in the pavilion for 57 runs on the way to a great century and a repeat effort in the second essay from a similar bad situation in going on to score twin centuries to fittingly earning him the Player of the Match. That he had great support from young Kamindu Mendis in both innings in lifting Sri Lanka to the box seat with the 25-year old himself going on to score twin centuries with a top score of 164 in the second innings in only his second test appearance that strangely took eight years since a debut half century against Australia in a home series was as significant. As the Lankan skipper delighted in the post-match quips of his tremendous resolve in delivering wearing the big mantle as much, he was of young Mendis whose contribution he lauded.
On resumption the Lankans bled the sixth Bangladesh wicket that took 5.3 overs for the addition of 5 runs when Kasun Rajitha fired out Taijul Islam without addition to his overnight 6 plumb leg before wicket as the hosts slithered from the overnight 47 for 5 to 51 for 6. But the seventh-wicket pair of Moimul Haque and Mehidy Hasan Miraz delayed the visitors victory adding 66 consuming 17.2 overs taking their side past the 100 mark before Rajitha struck again sending back Miraz caught by Dhananjaya de Silva for 33 off 50 balls inclusive of 6 boundaries and it was 117 for 7 after 32.3. Bangladesh did briefly profit also through the eighth-wicket addition of 47 as Moimul Haque found further support from Shoriful Islam who braced 42 deliveries for 12 before Rajitha again struck taking a return catch and went on to claim the ninth wicket without further addition off the very next delivery having Khaled Ahmed caught by Kusal Mendis for a duck as Bangladesh reached164 for 9 after 46 overs. But it took the Lankans a further 20 deliveries to finish off Bangladesh when Lahiru Kumara had last man Nahid Rana caught by the Lankan captain for a duck with Moimul Haque going on to add a further 18 in carrying his bat for a resolute 87 off 148 balls inclusive of 12 boundaries and a six in that lost cause.
CHIEF SCORES:
Sri Lanka 280
(Dhananjaya de Silva 102, Kamindu Mendis 102)eat
And 418 (110.4 Overs)
(Kamindu Mendis 164, Dhananjaya de Silva 108, Dimuth Karunaratne 52, Prabath Jayasuriya 25, Angelo Mathews 22, Kasun Rajitha n.o. 4, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 4/74, Tijul Islam 2/75, Nahid Rana 2/128, Khaled Ahmed 1/46, Sarhoriful Islam 1/75)
Bangladesh 188 and 182 (49.2 Overs) 13
(Mominul Haque n.o. 87, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 33, Zakir Hasan 19, Shoriful Islam 12,
Kasun Rajitha 5/56, Vishwa Fernando 3/36, Lahiru Kumara 2/39)
