Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya on Friday became the fastest spinner to claim 50 Test wickets, breaking West Indian Alf Valentine’s 72-year-old record. With the wicket of Ireland’s Paul Stirling on the fifth day of their second Test in Galle, Jayasuriya reached the milestone in just his seventh Test, having bowled in 13 innings. No other bowler has bettered that mark since Australia’s legendary pacer Charlie Turner, who took six Tests to reach 50 wickets in 1888. Jayasuriya’s heroics, on the heels of a dominant batting display, saw the hosts win by an innings and 10 runs. Photo: Slc
Ramesh Mendis grabbed a five-wicket haul and Prabath Jayasuriya became the fastest-ever spinner to 50 Test scalps Friday as Sri Lanka thrashed Ireland by an innings and 10 runs in the second Test.
The hosts swept the two-match series in Galle 2-0 with their 100th Test win and maintained the tourists’ 100 percent losing record in cricket’s longest format.
Harry Tector fought a lone last-day rearguard action to try to bat out a draw, scoring 85 and mounting a 41-run stand for the ninth wicket, but Mendis took 5-64 as Ireland were bowled out for 202 in their second innings.
Asitha Fernando bowled Tector with a yorker to end the resistance and accounted for last man Ben White with the very next ball to wrap up another emphatic win in style.
Sri Lanka won the first Test by an innings and 280 runs.
Ireland achieved Test status in 2017 but have now lost all their six matches in the format.
