SL vs IRE: Sri Lanka crush Ireland with innings defeat to go 1-0 up
Sri Lanka completed victory by an innings and 280 runs on day three in Galle, as Ireland were outplayed by their hosts in spin-friendly conditions.
Lorcan Tucker and Andy McBrine gave Ireland a positive start to the day, adding 26 runs in the first six overs. Tucker in particular looked to get the score moving, and took Vishwa Fernando for three boundaries in an over, albeit with one of those coming off the edge of his bat.
Prabath Jayasuriya, who had picked up five wickets on day two, could not be resisted for long, however. With Tucker on 45, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper went down looking to sweep, but was undone by a fuller, quicker ball from the left-arm spinner. A review was not able to save the Ireland batter, with the umpire’s call being upheld on both the point of impact and whether the ball was going on to hit the stumps.
Mark Adair lasted just two balls before being stumped as Jayasuriya turned one past the edge of his attempted shot over cover, leaving the left-armer with figures of 7-52. McBrine was trapped LBW by Ramesh Mendis in the next over as the last three wickets all fell with the score on 143.
With a lead of 448 runs on first innings, Sri Lanka chose to enforce the follow on and were quickly rewarded. Murray Commins fell to Fernando without scoring for the second time in the match, as he lobbed a catch to point off a leading edge.
The Sri Lanka opening bowler soon had another wicket to his name, producing a quick, seaming delivery from back of a length to take the edge of captain Andrew Balbirnie.
James McCollum fell victim to Jayasuriya for the second time in the match, this time an attempted drive to a ball well outside off stump saw a sharp chance taken at slip. And Tucker would have been feeling déjà vu when he was pinned leg before to the spinner while sweeping just a few overs later.
In the final minutes before lunch, PJ Moor fell to an outstanding catch at short leg by Nishan Madushka off the face of the bat to leave Ireland in the lurch at 41-5 at the break, still trailing by 407 runs.
Harry Tector and Curtis Campher held strong after the interval though and had soon brought up their fifty partnership. The same pair posted a 74-run stand against Bangladesh at the start of the month.
But with both players seemingly working their way towards individual half-centuries, an outstanding piece of anticipation and fielding at short leg by Madushka saw Campher’s paddle sweep end up in the fielder’s hands and the 23-year-old heading back to the pavilion for 30.
Tector also fell short of the landmark, run out for 42 in unfortunate circumstances as he slipped over and lost his bat in the process of turning back after a sharp single was declined by his batting partner. A desperate dive saw the young batter well short as the stumps were broken by the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper and he was left sprawled on the ground for some time in disappointment while the third umpire confirmed his demise.
George Dockrell and McBrine looked to counter-attack, but the latter edged a threatening delivery from Mendis to slip just before the tea break to leave just two wickets required for the hosts to wrap up victory.
The break again hardened Ireland’s resolve, and Dockrell and Mark Adair held out the Sri Lanka bowlers for a while after resumption, putting on 36 runs together before Mendis turned one sharply from around the wicket to trap Dockrell in front for 32.
Ben White suffered the same fate just two balls later, as Jayasuriya took his 10th wicket of the match, wrapping up a comprehensive win for the home side. The second and final Test begins on Monday, 24 April at the same venue.
