2nd Test: Sri Lanka beat WI, win Test series 2-0
Sri Lanka claimed a 164-run over West Indies in the second Test at the Galle International Stadium. The Lankans completed a 2-0 whitewash, having previously won the first Test by a huge margin. SL successfully defended 296 as Lasith Embuldeniya and Ramesh Mendis took five-wicket hauls. The visitors were bundled out for 132. Here are the key records.
How did the match pan out?
Sri Lanka racked up 204 after electing to bat. Pathum Nissanka shone with a 73-run knock. The visitors gained a slender lead after putting up 253 in reply. Although SL had a sloppy start in the second innings, an incredible ton by Dhananjaya de Silva powered the hosts to 345/9 (declared). Chasing 297, WI perished on 132. They succumbed to Embuldeniya and Mendis.
Maiden 10-wicket haul for Ramesh Mendis
Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis starred in the Test match, taking two five-wicket hauls. He thwarted the Caribbean batters by taking six wickets in the first innings (6/70). Mendis followed it up with figures of 5/66 in the second. He completed his maiden 10-wicket haul in Test cricket. Mendis was adjudged the Player of the Series, having finished as the leading wicket-taker.
Embuldeniya registers his fifth five-for
Left-arm off-spinner Lasith Embuldeniya was equally impressive in the second Test. He was the pick of SL's bowlers in the second innings (5/35). Embuldeniya took his fifth five-for in just his 13th Test match. He took a couple of wickets in the first innings as well. Interestingly, Embuldeniya and Mendis took 18 of the 20 wickets in the match for SL.
Dhananjaya fired his eighth Test century
An incredible ton by Dhananjaya de Silva put Sri Lanka on top on the fourth day. He fired his eighth century in Test cricket. The middle-order batter crossed the 150-run mark for the third time in the format. He remained unbeaten on 155 (262). This was de Silva's second Test ton in 2021 (previous: 166). He was named the Player of the Match.
Karunaratne completes 900 Tests runs in 2021
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne finished as the leading run-scorer of the series. He racked up 42 (90) in the first innings of the second Test. Karunaratne became the third batter to complete 900 runs in Test cricket this year, after Joe Root and Rohit Sharma. He owns 902 runs from seven Tests at an incredible average of 69.38 in 2021.
A look at other notable numbers
Spinners took a total of 36 wickets in the second Test, the third-most by spinners in a Test. As many as 67 wickets fell to spin in the series, the most in a two-match Test series. Dhananjaya has now scored a Test ton against seven different teams. Meanwhile, West Indies have failed to win a Test in Sri Lanka in 13 attempts.
