NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka clinched a resounding victory over Bangladesh in the second Test match, securing a comprehensive 192-run win to sweep the two-match series 2-0 in Chittagong on Wednesday.
Fast bowler
Lahiru Kumara
starred for Sri Lanka, finishing with impressive figures of 4-50, as he dismissed the final batsman, Khaled Ahmed, to seal the victory for his side before lunch on the fifth day.
Facing a daunting target of 511 runs in their second innings, hosts Bangladesh faltered, managing to add just 50 runs to their overnight score of 268-7.Despite a valiant effort from
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
, who remained unbeaten on 81 after registering his sixth Test half-century, Bangladesh succumbed to Sri Lanka's relentless bowling attack.
Mehidy's defiant innings saw him play some aggressive strokes, reaching his fifty off 68 balls. However, the dismissal of overnight partner Taijul Islam for 14, caught by Nishan Madushka off-spinner
Kamindu Mendis
, further dented Bangladesh's hopes of staging a comeback.
Kamindu Mendis, who also shone with the bat in the first innings with an unbeaten 92, was named the Man of the Match for his all-round performance. He was also awarded the Player of the Series for his century in both innings of the first Test.
Reflecting on Sri Lanka's triumph, captain
Dhananjaya de Silva
praised his team's collective effort, saying, "The bowlers did their basics on this wicket and the batters did their job as well. The batters were a bit disappointed about not getting runs in the first Test, but we have experienced players. I was confident they would get runs. There wasn't a lot of spin on offer. So I thought about reverse swing as a way to get wickets. The pacers were really on the spot."
Sri Lankan pacers dominated the proceedings, accounting for 33 of the 40 Bangladesh wickets to fall, a remarkable achievement on typically spin-friendly pitches in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain
Najmul Hossain Shanto
expressed disappointment over his team's batting performances and emphasized the need for introspection.
"If you look at our batting, everyone got set but didn't get a big score. That's something to think about. If you get set, you have to make a score. We have to play more first-class cricket," he said.
Despite the setback, Bangladesh is set to host Zimbabwe for five T20 matches in May as their next international engagement before the T20 World Cup commences in June.
(Inputs from AFP)
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