It’s not often you hear a player making his international debut at age 30. Prabath Jayasuriya is such a case. Less than six months shy of turning 31, the southpaw spinner got his debut Test cap in the second game against Australia in Galle. Sri Lanka had lost the first game and needed a win to tie the series at home. Jayasuriya stepped up in his debut Test as he scalped six wickets each in both innings to help Sri Lanka win the second Test with an innings and 39 runs to help his team pull out the two-match Test series.
Scalping 12/177 in his debut test, Jayasuriya entered an elite club. He now has fourth best marks in debut Test after India’s Narendra Hirwani (16/136 vs West Indies, 1988), Australia’s Bob Massie (16/137 vs England, 1972) and England’s Fred Martin (12/102 vs Australia, 1890 ).
In the match, Dinesh Chandimal’s first double century led Jayasuriya Sri Lanka to the huge win. Chandimal made an unbeaten 206 in Sri Lanka’s 554, while the hosts in Galle had a 190 lead in the first inning.
Jayasuriya, a left arm spinner, then took six wickets to help Australia sack for 151 in the final session on day four, when the hosts bounced back from their opening loss and the series ended 1-1.
The tourists posted 364 while Steve Smith hit an unbeaten 145 in the first innings, but their punching power faltered the second time.
Off spinner Ramesh Mendis caught David Warner lbw for 24 before thee and Jayasuriya quickly took over with his left arm spin in the final session to send Usman Khawaja (29) and Steve Smith (0) over in one over to rattle the opposition.
30-year old Jayasuriya, who claimed a six-for in the first innings, kept up the attack with another double attack to expose the Australian tail.
Ramesh and debutant spinner Maheesh Theekshana took two each and Jayasuriya took the last wicket to get the celebrations going in the Sri Lankan camp and crowd.
Jayasuriya’s match figures of 12-177 are the best ever by a Sri Lankan bowler on debut as he went one better than Praveen Jayawickrama, who took 11 wickets in his first Test last year.
But Chandimal secured the win after launching an attack on the opposing bowlers with his last 47 runs from just 28 balls.
Chandimal, 32, crushed the speedy Mitchell Starc with the left arm for a four and two sixes on consecutive balls to go past 200 as he jumped for joy amid loud applause from the crowd.
Starc took four wickets while leg spinner Mitchell Swepson took three to brush off the tail. The hosts started the day at 431-6 in response to Australia’s 364 first innings.
Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka was ruled out before the game started on Monday with Covid-19, making him the sixth Sri Lankan player to contract the virus in the past two weeks.
The overnight couple Chandimal and Ramesh added 68 before Starc broke through.
Chandimal, who scored his 13th Test hundred on Sunday, took on the opposition bowlers after losing Jayasuriya for nothing when he went past his previous best of 164.
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Chandimal and debutant Kamindu Mendis, who made 61, combined 133 runs for the fifth wicket to give the team the lead on day three.
With AFP inputs
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