Sri Lanka turned in one of their most clinical performances in recent memory, steamrolling Bangladesh by an innings at the SSC to pocket valuable World Test Championship points and send a strong message to the rest of the field. It was the kind of dominant display that ticked every box and left fans thoroughly entertained.
At the heart of the action was Pathum Nissanka, the calm amid chaos, who followed his career-best 187 in Galle with a masterful 158 in Colombo. In both innings, he looked destined to raise his bat for a maiden Test double hundred before falling prey to the second new ball – a cruel twist of fate just as he was shifting gears.
Already the owner of Sri Lanka’s first double ton in ODIs, Nissanka’s ability to blend patience with precision marks him as a rare breed in an era dominated by crash-bang-wallop T20 cricket. On a featherbed of a pitch, with nothing in it for the bowlers, Bangladesh tried the bouncer barrage with three men patrolling the leg-side fence. But Nissanka refused the bait, ducking and weaving with monk-like discipline – the sign of a batsman cut from classic cloth. Sadly for Sri Lanka, red-ball cricket now takes a back seat for the rest of the year.
At the other end of the temperament spectrum stood Kamindu Mendis, who wore the short ball like a badge of honour. Unafraid to counterattack, his positive intent and tactical nous have earmarked him as a leader in the making – unless his schoolmate Charith Asalanka forces his way back into red-ball reckoning.
Sri Lanka did wobble briefly on day three when the second new ball struck thrice in quick succession. But just when the visitors sensed a glimmer, Kusal Mendis snuffed it out with a counterpunching knock that pulled the game decisively in Sri Lanka’s favour. His presence in the lower middle order offers the perfect buffer against the second new ball and gives the selectors room to balance the XI.
A hundred would’ve been a just reward for Kusal, who fell short, but his growing stature behind the stumps has not gone unnoticed. His glove work – especially the sharp stumpings – has improved in leaps and bounds. His absence late on day three was telling, as Lahiru Udara filled in but failed to match the standards required at this level.
Udara’s maiden series was a mixed bag. While his straight drives were easy on the eye, his work in the field left plenty to be desired. He shelled multiple chances – both close-in at Galle and on the boundary at SSC – and those lapses hurt the team. Given the high price of dropped catches in Test cricket, the selectors may look elsewhere for stability at the top.
Meanwhile, Prabath Jayasuriya’s resurgence was another bright spark. Under pressure after a lean patch, the left-arm spinner returned to his best, ironing out technical glitches mid-Test and reaping rewards with a five-wicket haul in the second innings. His form will be key as Sri Lanka navigate a sparse but significant Test calendar.
With only 12 Tests in this World Test Championship cycle, Sri Lanka’s red-ball schedule is thin gruel. Home series against South Africa and India and away tours to Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies await. But the cupboard looks bare beyond that.
To keep the Test match fires burning, Sri Lanka would do well to cast the net wider and schedule bilateral series outside the WTC framework – whether against Afghanistan, Ireland or even Zimbabwe – to ensure the next generation of players isn’t starved of the long-form education they so desperately need.
