Sri Lanka spinner Prabath Jayasuriya had a memorable Test debut against Australia. He scalped 12 wickets in the second Test match to help his side in clinching a record-breaking win by an inning and 39 runs. With the magical figures of 12/177, the 30-year-old spinner now has fourth-best figures on a Test debut.
India’s Narendra Hirwani tops the list with 16/136 against West Indies in 1988 followed by Australia’s Bob Massie (16/137 against England in 1972) and England’s Fred Martin (12/102 against Australia in 1890).
Sri Lanka’s incredible win was appreciated by former cricketers and experts on social media. Former captain Kumar Sangakkara congratulated the Sri Lankan cricket team for their emphatic win against Australia.
Player of the Match Prabath Jayasuriya 6/59 spins Sri Lanka to incredible innings and 39-run win over Australia with record debut match haul of 12/177! #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/BESwOo1OHQ
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) July 11, 2022
“Amazing display by Sri Lanka Cricket team. Congrats to Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Prabath Jayasuriya, and the entire team for the outstanding win,” Sangakkara wrote on Twitter.
Amazing display by @OfficialSLC congrats to @IamDimuth Dinesh Chandimal, Prabath Jayasuriya and the entire team for the outstanding win.
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) July 11, 2022
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin congratulated Jayasuriya for his match-winning bowling display. “Sky Suryakumar Yadav last night and Dinesh Chandimal today, different formats, different styles but equally exciting to watch,” wrote Ashwin.
Sky @surya_14kumar last night and Dinesh Chandimal today , different formats, different styles but equally exciting to watch. #indvseng #SLVSAUS
— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) July 11, 2022
All-rounder Angelo Mathews tweeted about the Sri Lanka cricketers for pulling off a remarkable victory.
“We couldn’t win the series but so proud to be a part of this amazing group of people.. Dinesh Chandimal what a knock one of the very best I’ve seen and Prabath Jayasuriya what a debut. great team effort! Thank you Australia cricket team for making this tour a possibility,” Mathews posted on Twitter.
A famous victory for the hosts 👏#WTC23 | 📝 https://t.co/rLt7mhNkl4 pic.twitter.com/8W0ktypwK1
— ICC (@ICC) July 11, 2022
Coming back to the Sri Lanka Test, Jayasuriya bagged six wickets in the first innings as the Aussies registered a formidable total of 364. Jayasuriya replicated his stunning form in the second innings as well after the Pat Cummins-led side were bundled out for a paltry total of 151. The left-arm orthodox picked up six more wickets conceding just 59 runs.
Jayasuriya might be new to international cricket but he is certainly not new to domestic circuit. In first-class cricket, he has so far played 63 matches and bagged 246 wickets at an economy rate of 3.39. In List A, he has featured in 61 matches and has 97 wickets in his kitty.
Veteran batsman Dinesh Chandimal scored a record-breaking double hundred to become Sri Lanka’s first-ever centurion in Test cricket against Australia. Chandimal smashed 16 boundaries and five over boundaries to score an unbeaten 206.
Apart from Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s second Test victory by an innings and 39 runs also turned out to be a record-breaking one. Sri Lanka’s triumph at the Galle International Stadium was their first-ever innings victory in Test cricket against Australia. It was also the first time Australia lost a Test by an innings since losing to South Africa in November 2016 at Hobart.
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