Dhananjaya de Silva slams maiden Test ton as SL captain
Dhananjaya de Silva has brought up his maiden Test hundred as Sri Lanka's skipper. The veteran touched the three-figure mark on Day 1 of the series opener against Bangladesh in Sylhet. It was indeed a captain's knock from de Silva as his side suffered a top-order collapse while batting first. Meanwhile, this was overall his 11th Test ton. Here are his stats.
A captain's effort from de Silva
SL were reeling at 47/4 when de Silva arrived to bat. The team was soon further reduced to 57/5. The SL skipper then joined forces with Kamindu Mendis (102) and the duo rescued the visitors with a 202-run stand. Both batters scored centuries as SL gathered runs at a brisk rate. Meanwhile, de Silva ended up scoring a 131-ball 102 (12 fours, 1 six).
11th Test hundred for de Silva
As mentioned, this is de Silva's 11th Test ton and a maiden one as captain. The veteran is standing in his second Test as captain. He bagged a duck in his maiden outing. Playing his 53rd Test, he has raced to 3,403 runs, averaging 40.03 (50s: 13). With his off-spin, the 32-year-old has so far scalped 34 Test wickets at 58.14.
His numbers versus Bangladesh
De Silva has indeed enjoyed batting against the Tigers as he has now raced to 662 runs in eight Tests against them, averaging 55.16. This was his third ton against the opposition as the tally also includes a solitary fifty. Meanwhile, this was his second Test ton on Bangladesh soil as he has completed 419 runs in the nation, averaging 59.85 (50: 1).
Historic stand between Kamindu and de Silva
As mentioned, de Silva and Kamindu added 202 runs to power SL past 250. They became the first visiting pair to record a double-century stand for the sixth wicket or lower in Bangladesh (Tests). The previous-highest stand in this regard also belongs to an SL pair as Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal added 199 runs for the sixth wicket in Mirpur (2022).
