Sri Lanka thrash Ireland by an innings and 280 runs in first Test at Galle

Galle, The Gulf Observer: Sri Lanka thumped Ireland by an innings and 280 runs in the first Test at Galle with the hosts wrapping up victory after tea on day three.

Ireland, who lost 13 wickets on the day, were bowled out for 168 in their second innings having been rolled for 143 in their first knock as they replied to the home team’s 591-6 declared.

Sri Lanka spinner Prabath Jayasuriya earned match figures of 10-108, backing up his first innings 7-52 with 3-56 second time around, as his team secured their record victory margin in Test cricket, eclipsing the innings-and-254-run win against Zimbabwe in 2004.

Ireland’s defeat was their fifth in as many games since they were awarded Test status in 2017, with Andy Balbirnie’s men also beaten by Pakistan, Afghanistan, England and Bangladesh.

Balbirnie said: “It’s another Test match under the belt for a lot of our cricketers. A lot of us want to play Test cricket but we got a real taste of that over the last three days.

“Sri Lanka at home are a daunting prospect for any team, never mind a team that hasn’t played a lot of Test cricket. Certainly there are learnings but we’ve got to find a way to compete better.”

The tourists – who will now be aiming to level the Sri Lanka series by winning the second and final Test from Monday – began day three in Galle on 117-7, trailing by 474.

Ireland reached 143-7 before losing their final three wickets for no runs, with left-armer Jayasuriya dismissing top-scorer Lorcan Tucker (45) and Mark Adair (0) in the same over.

The visitors were reinserted by Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne and tumbled to 40-5 as opener Murray Commins (0) bagged a pair and James McCollum (8), Balbirnie (6), Tucker (6) and Peter Moor (0) also fell cheaply.

Harry Tector (42) and Curtis Campher (30) took Ireland into three figures with a sixth-wicket stand of 60 before Campher was out on the sweep to a superb catch from Nishan Madushaka and Tector was run out by Karunaratne.

George Dockrell (32) and Mark Adair (23no) delayed Sri Lanka’s victory but the hosts eventually triumphed in the final session when Jayasuriya trapped last man Ben White (1) lbw.

Jayasuriya’s fellow spinner Ramesh Mendis claimed 4-76 as he equalled Dilruwan Perera in becoming the fastest Sri Lankan to 50 Test wickets, in 11 matches.