Sri Lanka crush hapless Bangladesh by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Event:

Sri Lanka in Bangladesh 2008/09

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DateLine: 6th January 2009

 

Bangladesh offered all the resistance of a Coke can when it it is kept under a steamroller. Sri Lanka crushed Bangladesh by huge margin of 465 runs which is the fifth worst margin of defeat. The performance was a far cry from the spirited performance that they had put in the previous match. The Bangladeshi batsman had to face the unorthodox Mendis and he was one of the wrecker in chief. The only time the innings looked in some rhythm was when Shakib and Rahim shared a 92 run association. Dilshan will remember this match for the rest of his career as he scored two centuries in each innings and to go with that he picked up three wickets to put spanner in the Bangladeshi innings.

 

Tillakaratne Dilshan began his new year with twin centuries, as Sri Lanka piled on the misery for Bangladesh on the fourth day of the second Test in Chittagong. Chamara Kapugedera carried on from where he had left off in the first innings, bringing up his fifty as the two put on 86 for the sixth wicket, and with Chaminda Vaas contributing usefully, Sri Lanka's lead had stretched to 623 at lunch.

 

Bangladesh using as many as nine bowlers, tried to stop the onslaught, but Dilshan and Kapugedera ensured they had little to celebrate. One of the few encouraging moments for them was when Thilan Samaraweera fell early in the opening session after adding just five runs to his overnight 72. A superb piece of bowling from Shakib Al Hasan had him undone - the ball pitched on middle, straightened, and trapped Samaraweera on the back foot plumb in front. Dilshan looked confident, bringing up his hundred with a four through backward point off Shahadat Hossain. He then followed it up with two more boundaries in the same over as Sri Lanka suddenly upped the scoring rate.

 

Shakib would be ruing a dropped chance off Kapugedera, failing to latch on the a leading edge off his own bowling. Kapugedera was on six then. Dilshan was closing in on his 150, but was bowled by Enamul Haque jnr for a quick 143, which came off just 175 balls, and included 14 boundaries and a six. That dismissal should have brought about the declaration, but captain Mahela Jayawardene chose to bat on, even as the lead went past 600 and finally he declared and Bangladesh were left facing a gargantuan 624 to chase.

 

From then on, it was the Mendis show, as the spinner removed three of the top five batsmen cheaply before the tea interval to put the visitors on course for the series win with a day to spare. The hosts struggled right from the start, during the chase - Mendis drew first blood, removing Imrul Kayes, after Mahela had switched to spin at one end, keeping the pace attack on for just the first six overs. It was the third ball of Mendis' first over, and Kayes poked at it, to hand Mahela a regulation catch at first slip. Vaas had Tamim Iqbal nick to Prasanna Jayawardene behind the stumps.

 

Mendis returned with a double-strike, as Junaid Siddique and Mohammad Ashraful found the going tough as well. While Junaid was trapped leg before by a straighter one pitched on the middle, Ashraful managed to under-edge a square cut into Prasanna's gloves, as Mendis took his wicket tally in the match to seven. There was further worry for Bangladesh as Raqibul Hasan lost his middle stump to a vicious reverse-swinging delivery from Dilhara Fernando just before tea, as Sri Lanka made inroads into the lower half of the batting order.

 

In the final session, Shakib and Rahim added 92 runs for the sixth wicket. It was only at that time the innings looked in some control, but then it was too good to last as Dilshan continuing his already superb match came and took out three wickets. First to go was Shakib who was foxed and stumped, Mortaza gave a catch to Mahela which was referred and then Shahadat was bowled through his gate. Rahim played a fighting knock before he was run out when he attempted a second run and thus the innings folded up handing Sri Lanka a big win.