Record-breaking Herath spins Sri Lanka to victory

Sunday, March 12, 2017 - srilankacricket.lk

Home side captain becomes most successful left-arm spinner as Bangladesh goes down by 259 runs in first Test

Rangana Herath celebrates a wicket

Rangana Herath became the most successful left-arm spinner in Test cricket history as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 259 runs in the first Test in Galle on Saturday (March 11).

Herath picked up 6 for 59 as Bangladesh was 197 all out in its chase of an improbable 457-run target to help the home side go 1-0 up in the two-match series. The Bangladesh batsmen cut a sorry figure, unable to counter Sri Lanka’s relentless spin attack on the final day.

Resuming on 67 for no loss and needing 390 runs more for victory on the final day, Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar, the overnight batsman, in the second ball of the morning and couldn’t recover after that.

Soumya got a leading edge off the first ball from Asela Gunaratne. It landed safely. However, the next ball clipped the bails of his off stump to dismiss the left-hander on his overnight score of 53.

Perera then struck in consecutive overs, trapping Mominul Haque leg-before for five before having Tamim Iqbal caught by Gunaratne at slip for 19.

Herath delivered further blows when he removed Shakib Al Hasan for eight and handed Mahmudullah a second-ball duck in the space of three balls in one over. Shakib gloved a catch to Dimuth Karunaratne at leg slip while Mahmudullah was deceived by an arm ball, which hit his back foot, to be adjudged lbw.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the captain, and Liton Das shared 53 runs in a sixth-wicket stand to keep Bangladesh alive with news of storms in the area, and took them to lunch on 157 for 5.

However, Bangladesh once again stumbled after the interval, losing its last five wickets within an hour. It started with Rahim gently tickling Lakshan Sandakan, the left-arm chinaman bowler, to the wicketkeeper down leg side off the second ball after lunch.

Heerath then followed it up with the wicket of Das, who was caught at cover off a leading edge trying to slog the Sri Lanka captain across the line. The wicket was Herath’s 363rd in Test cricket, going past Daniel Vettori’s tally of 362. The rest of the game was just a matter of time.

Bangladesh was all out for 312 runs in its first innings in reply to Sri Lanka’s 494, who later declared its second innings on 274 for 6.