Sri Lanka – Ireland 1st Test Match Sri Lanka demolish Ireland with over two days to spare

Sri Lanka’s captain Dimuth Karunaratne (2R) with teammates walk back to the pavilion after Sri Lanka won by an innings and 280 runs during the third day of the first cricket Test match between Sri Lanka and Ireland at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle 

By M. Shamil Amit   

Sri Lanka demolished the visiting Ireland side by a massive innings and 280 runs with over two days to spare in the first Test match concluded at the Galle International Cricket Stadium yesterday.   

The writing on the wall was there when play ended on day two with Ireland in reply to Sri Lanka’s massive score of 591 for 6 ending the day on 117 for 7 and needing a further 474 runs to erase to avoid the follow on. 

 
It was the day one wrecker left arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya who finished off the tail as Ireland resuming their innings on day three lasting just under eight overs, to be precised only 45 balls.   

Jayasuriya who ended with a five wicket haul on day two added two more wickets to his collection to end with a match figure 7 for 52 while Ramesh Mendis bagged the other wicket to bowl out the visitors for a paltry 143 runs.   
Ireland made to follow and left with the daunting task of erasing a massive deficit of 448 runs fared no better.   
It was a repeat of their first innings batting as the left arm pace and spin combination of Vishwa Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya combined again to have them in tatters.   

The pair shared four wickets between them and with Ramesh Mendis accounting for the fifth wicket had Ireland batting in shambles as they went into the lunch break in a bad position of 41 for 5.   

The post lunch session saw Harry Tector and Curtis Campher putting in some resistance as they succeeded to post the 50 runs stand for the sixth wicket and then put Ireland’s 100 runs on the board before Mendis separated them with the wicket of Campher who made 30 and sharing a sixth wicket stand of 60 runs with Tector and Ireland on 100 for 6.   

Tector followed eight runs later becoming the second victim of Mendis having made 42. George Dockrell and Andy McBrine featured in a brief stand of 23 before Mendis struck again with the wicket of McBrine to have Ireland struggling on 131 for 8.   

Later with Ireland on the brink of defeat saw Dockrell sharing another brief stand of 36 runs for the ninth wicket with Mark Adair which ended with Dockrell becoming the fourth victim of Mendis before Jayasuriya bagged the last Ireland wicket to bundle them out for 168 runs for Sri Lanka to take a 1-0 lead in the two match series.   
In the process Ireland in just over two sessions of play lost 13 wickets for 194 runs. Mendis who ended with four wickets was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers in Ireland’s second innings while Jayasuriya who bagged three along with his seven in the first innings ended with a match bag of 10 for 108 runs and fittingly was adjudged the player of the match.   

The two teams will play their second Test match from April 24 at the same venue.