Sri Lanka suffers worst Test defeat at home

Pakistan swept the two-Test series 
pix by Kushan Pathiraja

By Shehan Daniel at the SSC
Sri Lanka slumped to their worst ever Test defeat at home, losing to Pakistan by an innings and 222 at the Sinhalese Sports Club yesterday, as the home team’s batting folded to the guile of left-arm spinner Noman Ali and vicious swing of paceman Nasheem Shah.
The last time Sri Lanka suffered a defeat this devastating was 30 years ago when, ironically at this same venue, South Africa routed them by an innings and 208 runs.
It was also among their worst losses ever – away defeats to India in 2017 and South Africa in 2001 being the only exceptions – as they surrendered the series and all available World Test Championship points to Pakistan.  
With a 410-run deficit to wipe out to make the visitors bat again, Sri Lanka’s innings was first unraveled by Noman, who claimed a career-best 7 for 70 in the afternoon session, before excellent spells of fast bowling from Shah, who mesmerised with swing and reverse swing, ripped apart and shredded Sri Lanka’s tail-enders.

The hosts had a nervy start to the innings, but closing on lunch, openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka stitched together a 69-run partnership.
That stand was broken by Ali, who struck with his first ball into the attack, creating enough deviation off the pitch to beat Maduska’s dead bat, bowling him for 33.
Sri Lanka reached lunch at 81 for 1, but it didn’t take long after the break for Ali to trigger a collapse, the home team losing their next five wickets for 55 runs in the afternoon session.
Ali claimed all five dismissals, benefiting from the collective pressure exerted by the Pakistani bowlers – the solitary fightback coming from veteran Angelo Mathews who remained unbeaten on 63.

The first pin to drop was Karunaratne in the second over after the break, with Karunaratne advancing down the wicket to draw an edge that was snapped up by Imam-Ul-Haq at short leg.
Five overs later, with only 23 runs added in that phase, Kusal Mendis attempted to go inside out, but failed to clear Saud Shakeel at cover.
With scoring progressively stifled, Dinesh Chandimal’s mistimed paddled sweep sent a looping catch to ul-Haq at short leg, though the batsman chose to challenge the umpire’s decision.
There appeared some doubt as to whether the ball did hit Chandimal’s glove, with replays proving inconclusive, which meant the third umpire could not overturn the on-field call.

Dhananjaya de Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama also fell victim to Ali as Sri Lanka slipped to 141 for 6.
A 36-run partnership between Mathews and Ramesh Mendis was broken when the latter charged Ali, but the willy spinner beat the bat with turn and bounce for Mohammad Rizwan to complete a stumping.
Shah’s opening five-over spell included four maidens and conceded just eight runs, as he began extracting reverse swing.
He was equally dangerous in his second spell but it was the third that was most exciting.
Bowling with fire up, his frustration was stoked after thrice being denied a wicket the wicket of Ramesh Mendis through umpire reviews.

Even though Ali would claim Ramesh Mendis’ wicket, Shah would have his just reward, bowling Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka for ducks, over six deliveries, to bowl Sri Lanka out.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, to much surprise, chose not to declare his innings overnight, despite concerns that rain could intervene over the final two days of the match, but it turned out that it took him just two overs into play yesterday to make that call.
The first of those two overs was played out run-less by Agha Salman, before Mohammad Rizwan took three boundaries off Prabath Jayasuriya in the next over to reach his half-century.
That appeared to be what Azam wanted to see before pulling the trigger to declare his team’s first innings on 576, for a lead of 410.