Sri Lanka move up in World Test Championship after big win

A big 328-run win in the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet helped Sri Lanka to make steady progress in the World Test Championship. Sri Lanka were placed last in the points table before yesterday but moved up to number six having collected 12 points from the first Test that ended inside four days.

England have now slumped to last and a win in the second Test in Chittagong will see Sri Lanka move to fourth place in the World Test Championship behind India, Australia and New Zealand.

Sri Lanka owed the win to their middle order pair of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis, who scored hundreds in each innings rescuing the side on both occasions after top order collapses. It was only the third occasion in a Test match batters from the same side had hit twin hundreds.

It was a remarkable performance by the bowlers too as the three quicks shared all 20 wickets to fall. Kasun Rajitha picked up career best figures of five for 54 in the second innings to finish the game with eight wickets.

Left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando had seven wickets in the game while Lahiru Kumara, although down on pace, picked up five wickets. Prabath Jayasuriya failed to pick up a wicket in the game, something rare for the ever reliable left-arm spin bowler.

Bangladesh had prepared a grassy wicket with pace and bounce hoping their much-improved quicks will make an impact. But the ploy backfired as Sri Lanka’s batters – Dhananjaya and Kamindu – in particular did the hard work to provide their side decent totals.

With runs on the board, Sri Lanka’s quicks then had a field day bowling to attacking fields.

Bangladesh resumed day four on 47 for five and it was a matter of how long they can bat on the penultimate day. They were bowled out after lunch to hand Sri Lanka a 1-0 advantage in the two-match series.

Nightwatchman Taijul Islam was dismissed in the first ball he faced as Rajitha trapped him leg before wicket.

A 66 runs stand for the seventh wicket followed between Mehidy Hasan and Mominul Haque. Rajitha again found the breakthrough when he had got Mehidy to drive and the outside edge was snapped up by Dhananjaya de Silva at second slip.

Rajitha had a fourth wicket when he took a sharp return catch to dismiss Shoriful Islam. He picked up a second five wicket haul in Test cricket when Khaled Ahmed was caught behind.

Mominul was left stranded on 87 as Kumara picked up the last wicket to fall.

Dhananjaya was named Man of the Match.