Asitha rips through Bangladesh as Sri Lanka win Test series

DHAKA (AFP): Asitha Fernando finished with a career-best 6-51 as Sri Lanka thrashed hosts Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the second Test on Friday to win the series 1-0.

The visitors bowled out Bangladesh for 169 runs in their second innings with the 24-year-old playing a starring role at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

“We knew we needed a couple of wickets to go our way,” said Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne.

“The fast bowlers did the job for us, both in the first innings as well as the second.”

Sri Lanka made 506 runs in the first innings after bowling out Bangladesh for 365.

Oshada Fernando sealed the devastating win with an unbeaten 21 in three overs.

Play had resumed on the fifth and final day with the hosts at a precarious 34-4 and Sri Lanka upped the pressure when Kasun Rajitha bowled Mushfiqur Rahim for 23 in the eighth over.

Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das both hit fifties in a 110-run stand and held on through the first session with a mix of caution and aggression.

Shakib’s counter-attack saw him hit Rajitha for three fours in one over, forcing Sri Lanka to widen their field set-up, while Liton played an anchor role after resuming on one overnight.

Liton was given out caught behind off Rajitha on nine as he attempted to flick a ball going down the leg, but survived on review.

It was the fourth caught behind decision overturned in the match, all given by West Indies umpire Joel Wilson.

A counter-punching Shakib brought his 27th Test fifty in the last ball before lunch with a boundary off Dhananjaya de Silva, before Asitha drove the hosts’ collapse after lunch.

He took the scalps of both Liton and Shakib soon after the break, claiming four of the last five wickets after dispatching openers Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Tamim Iqbal the previous day.

Ramesh Mendis trapped Mosaddek Hossain for nine before Asitha wrapped up the Bangladesh innings with the wickets of Taijul Islam and Khaled Ahmed in successive deliveries.

“A disappointing performance,” said Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque.

“They put us under pressure with the new ball, we’ll have to handle it better next time,” he added.

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews, who was unbeaten on 145 in the first innings, won the player of the series award.

The first Test in Chittagong ended in a draw.

Scoreboard

Final scores on the fifth and final day of the second Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday:

Bangladesh first innings 365 (Mushfiqur Rahim 175 not out, Liton Das 141; Kasun Rajitha 5-64, Asitha Fernando 4-93)

Sri Lanka first innings 506 (Mathews 145, Chandimal 124; Shakib 5-96, Ebadot 4-148)

Bangladesh second innings (overnight 4-34)

Mahmudul Hasan c Mendis b Fernando         15

Tamim Iqbal c Mendis b Fernando             0

Najmul Hossain run out                      2

Mominul Haque c Dickwella b Rajitha         0

Mushfiqur Rahim b Rajitha                  23

Liton Das c&b Fernando                     52

Shakib Al Hasan c Dickwella b Fernando     58

Mosaddek Hossain lbw b Mendis               9

Taijul Islam lbw b Fernando                 1

Ebadot Hossain not out                      0

Khaled Ahmed b Fernando                     0

Extras (lb 1, nb2, w6)                      9

Total (all out; 55.3 overs)               169

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Tamim), 2-19 (Najmul), 3-19 (Mominul), 4-23 (Mahmudul), 5-53 (Rahim), 6-156 (Das), 7-163 (Shakib), 8-169 (Mosaddek), 9-169 (Taijul), 10-169 (Khaled Ahmed, 55.3 ov)

Bowling: Rajitha 12-5-40-2 (nb1, w1), Fernando 17.3-5-51-6 (nb1, w1), Jayawickrama 13-0-47-0, Mendis 11-2-20-1, de Silva 2-0-10-0

Sri Lanka second innings

Oshada Fernando                            21

Dimuth Karunaratne                          7

Extras (b1)                                 1

Total (3 overs)                            29

Yet to bat: Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando

Bowling: Taijul 1-0-16-0, Shakib 1-0-7-0, Ebadot 1-0-5-0

Result: Sri Lanka win by 10 wickets

Series: Sri Lanka win two-match series 1-0

Toss: Bangladesh

Umpires: Joel Wilson (WIS), Sharfuddoula (BAN)  

TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)

Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)