Sri Lanka crushed Ireland

Galle (Uttam Hindu News): Sri Lanka thrashed Ireland by an innings and 280 runs in the first Test on Tuesday thanks to the deadly bowling of Prabhat Jayasuriya (10 wickets).

The hosts scored 591 runs in the first innings with the help of centuries from Chamika Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Ireland, playing their first Test in Sri Lanka, had no answer to this mammoth score and the whole team was reduced to 311 runs twice.

Ireland started the third day with a score of 117/7. Lorcan Tucker was leading the visitors’ innings with 45 but Jayasuriya removed him and Mark Adair (0) in the space of three balls. Ramesh Mendis took the wicket of Andy McBrine to end Ireland’s innings for 143 runs.

Captain Karunaratne relied on his spinners to call Ireland to follow on and the visitors were reduced to 40 runs for five wickets. Harry Tector (95 balls, 4 fours, 42 runs) and Curtis Campher (73 balls, 5 fours, 30 runs) shared a 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket, Ireland’s best in the second innings.

Mendis, who had taken only one wicket in the first innings, found his rhythm and dismissed Campher, while Ireland’s defeat came closer with the run-out of Tector.

George Dockrell hit six fours in his 54-ball 32, although Mendis dismissed him and McBrine to complete his four-wicket haul. Adair remained unbeaten on 23 off 29 balls while Jayasuriya dismissed Ireland for the second time with the wicket of Benjamin White.

Sri Lanka and Ireland will now face each other in the second Test of the series from Monday.