Sri Lanka’s Fast Bowlers Dominate in Sylhet Test

First Test, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka: Scorecard

Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, and Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers, dominated day two of the first ICC World Test Championship Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet, taking ten wickets between them and putting Sri Lanka in a commanding position.

After scoring 280 in their first innings, Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers shone, dismissing Bangladesh for 188, thereby gaining a significant lead on a seaming wicket in Sylhet.

“The fast bowlers bowled exceptionally well to claim all ten wickets,” commented Dharshana Gamage, Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach, after the day’s play. “Our primary focus was discipline. Our success and ability to take all ten wickets was due to our disciplined approach. We bowled in the right areas and developed effective bowling partnerships from both ends.”

Highlights of the match player, Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara, who dismantled the England innings with three key wickets at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Fernando claimed four wickets while Rajitha and Kumara took three each, giving Sri Lanka a substantial lead in the first innings. This proved beneficial as their batsmen also found the going tough against Bangladesh’s bowling in the second innings.

This is the first time since 1992 that Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers have taken all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match in Asia.

Kumara, who is making a comeback after a year, claimed the crucial wickets of opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain, and Litton Das.

Gamage praised Kumara’s hard work in the months leading up to this Test match, stating, “We try to bowl long spells in practice to get used to Test cricket. Kumara is in good form at the moment. He demonstrated his ability to bowl consistently in the right areas and cause problems.”

ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Standings

Despite Bangladesh’s fightback with the ball, Sri Lanka managed to build a good lead in Sylhet by the end of day two. The performance of the pace trio means that Sri Lanka leads by 211 runs with five wickets remaining at the end of day two.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored a century in the first innings, is unbeaten on 23 and will aim to set a challenging target on day three.

In the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, Sri Lanka has lost both their Test matches, while Bangladesh is fourth in the points table with one win and one loss.