Sri Lankan left-arm spinner, Praveen Jayawickrama, returned stunning debut figures to seal a dominant victory for the home-side in the second and final cricket test against Bangladesh in Kandy.
Needing a further 260 runs for victory on the final morning, Bangladesh was bowled out for 227 within the first hour as the 22-year-old Praveen claimed five for 86 in 32 overs to guide Sri Lanka to a crushing 209 run victory.
Jayawickrama finished with match figures of 11 for 178. Sri Lanka won the two-match series one-nil after the first match ended in a draw.
There was some good Test cricket played over the last two weeks between these two teams.
It was a batting paradise in the first Test as three batsmen, Najmul Shanto and Mominul Haque of Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva scored centuries, while his skipper Dimuth Karunaratne notched up a double ton.
However, the second Test was much more interesting as there was a fair contest between the bat and ball.
Sri Lanka made the most of the home conditions and debutant Praveen Jayawickrama stole the show with magnificent bowling figures.
The 22-year-old took 11 wickets in the match and became the first Sri Lankan bowler to claim a 10-wicket haul on debut.
It took just over an hour for the hosts to wrap up the match and the series after the first match ended in a draw last week.
The visitors woke up with the daunting task of chasing down 260 runs on the final morning, but were up against it at 177 for 5.
Jayawickrama entered the record books as Sri Lanka’s inexperienced spin attack carried them to a 209-run win.
His match figures of 11 for 178 were the best by a Sri Lankan bowler on debut, the best by a left-arm spinner on debut and he became the first bowler to take a 10-wicket haul on debut since Australia’s Jason Krejza in 2008.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who kept Sri Lanka in the field for an hour on the fifth morning, was Jayawickrama’s tenth victim.
After making 39, Miraz had telegraphed his lap sweep far too soon, as Pathum Nissanka anticipated the shot, moved to his right and took the catch.
Jayawickrama wrapped up the match with Abu Jayed’s wicket, his fifth lbw in the game.
A happy Mickey Arthur and his chargers won by 209 runs.
