Birthday boy Herath outfoxes Bangladesh

Spinner claims 12 wickets in total as Sri Lanka clinch series after seven-wicket win.

COLOMBO:

Rangana Herath celebrated his 35th birthday with a career-best seven for 89 as Sri Lanka clinched the series against Bangladesh with a comfortable seven-wicket win in the second and final Test.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (57) and left-hander Kumar Sangakkara (55) put on 94 for the second wicket to steer the home team towards their 160-run target on the penultimate day in Colombo.

The opening Test in Galle ended in a draw.

Former captain Sangakkara, who scored three successive centuries in the series, cracked eight fours in his 85-ball knock before being bowled by off-spinner Sohag Gazi.

He was named man of the series, while Herath was man of the match.

“What more can you ask from Herath? After Muttiah Muralitharan, Herath has been the man for us,” said Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, leading in his first Test series.

“We were put under a little bit of pressure in the first innings, but Sangakkara and [Dinesh] Chandimal scored those useful centuries. Bangladesh played really well but I never really doubted my team.”

Bangladesh, trailing by 106 runs in the first-innings, were bowled out for 265 in their second innings after adding 107 to their overnight total of 158 for four.



Left-arm spinner Herath did the damage by capturing four of the remaining six wickets in the morning. He also completed his third haul of 10 or more wickets in a Test, after bagging five for 68 in the first innings.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, however,  was pleased with the progress. “We were probably 100 runs short,” said Rahim. “We are really playing well over the last one-and-a-half years. A couple of young guys played really well in a pressure situation. Hopefully, they will get better.” Rahim (40) offered some resistance before becoming Herath’s 200th Test victim.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.