Sri Lanka suffers a whitewash against Pakistan in the two-match Test series: Player Ratings for the Hosts
The two-match Test series against the Pakistan cricket team did not go as per the plan for the Sri Lankan side as they were hammered by 0-2. The hosts fell flat in all three facets of the game and thus succumbed to humiliating defeats at the Galle International Stadium and Sinhalese Sports Club.
The first Test match saw the island nation losing by four wickets while in the second Test, they delivered an even worse performance to record a defeat by an innings and 222 runs. Let us check out the report card of the Sri Lankan players:
Top Order
Nishan Madushuka (2/10): The Sri Lankan cricket team had high hopes for the opening batter Nishan Madushuka but he failed to justify his place in the team. Despite getting a chance to bat in all four innings, Nishan ended up scoring only 93 runs at an average of over 23.
Dimuth Karunaratne (3.5/10): The other opening batter Dimuth Karunaratne was slightly better as he collected 107 runs at an average of 47 to occupy the sixth place in the run-scoring charts. Karunratne’s best knock came in the third innings of the second Test as he scored 41 runs off 61 balls.
Meanwhile, he was a letdown as the skipper as his decisions regarding the rotation of bowlers did not give the desired results and Sri Lanka suffered a defeat by 0-2.
Kusal Mendis (1/10): Kusal Mendis has emerged as the star performer for the Sri Lankan team in the last few months. However, he could not weave the same magic during the Test series against Pakistan and ended up collecting only 50 runs at an average of 12.50.
Mendis scored only 12 and 18 runs in the first Test match while his scores in the second Test match read 6 and 14 respectively.
Middle Order
Angelo Mathews was impeccable as he scored two half-centuries in the series
Angelo Mathews (5/10): As compared to the top-order batters, Angela Mathews delivered a relatively better performance. He looked in good form during the first innings of the first Test with a knock of 64 runs. However, the batter could not carry forward the momentum in the second innings and was dismissed at a score of 7 runs.
The first innings of the second Test also saw a poor performance by Mathews with a knock of nine runs but he redeemed himself in Sri Lanka’s second batting innings by going not out after scoring 63 runs off 127 balls.
Dinesh Chadimal (1.5/10): Another Sri Lankan batter who was a big disappointment during the two-match Test series against Pakistan has to be Dinesh Chandimal. He failed to cover up the poor performances of the top-order batters and ended up with only 64 runs from four innings at an embarrassing average of 16. Chandimal scored 34 runs and 1 run respectively in the final Test match while his scores in the first game were 1 run and 28 runs respectively.
Dhanajaya de Silva (6.5/10): Dhanajaya de Silva was the star for the Sri Lankan team with the bat and also emerged as the only saving grace for the hosts. The spin-bowling all-rounder was the top run-getter for his team with 271 runs from four innings at an average of over 67 and a strike rate of under 62.
De Silva did not get many opportunities with the ball throughout the series and thus he went wicketless against Pakistan.
Sadeera Samarawickrama (1/10): The wicketkeeper-batter Sadeera Samarawickrama also delivered a forgettable performance against Pakistan by churning out only 52 runs in four overs at a poor average of 13. His highest knock came during the first innings of the first Test match when he scored 36 runs after facing 57 balls in the middle.
Bowlers
Ramesh Mendis (5/10): Ramesh Mendis was expected to play a crucial role for the Sri Lankan team due to the spin-friendly nature of the pitches. However, the 28-year-old could not unleash his full potential. He ended up picking only six wickets in two matches at a poor average of 56.17 and an economy rate of 3.65.
Prabath Jayasuriya (7/10): Prabath Jayasuriya finished as the top wicket-taker for Sri Lanka and fourth in the overall list in the two-match Test series against Pakistan. The 31-year-old spinner picked nine wickets in three innings after bowling for 102.5 overs at an average of 43.89 and an economy rate of 3.84. He gave his best performance in the first Test by picking three and four wickets respectively across two innings.
Kasun Rajitha (1/10): The Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne did not show much faith in the seamer Kasun Rajitha as he played only one Test match and was dropped from the second game. The 30-year-old was not given the ball in the final innings of the first game while in the first innings, he picked up one wicket of Imam-ul-Haq and conceded 77 runs in 19 overs at an economy rate of 4.1.
Vishwa Fernando (1/10): Vishwa Fernando made it to Sri Lanka’s Test XI for the first match against Pakistan. The seamer could not make much of an impact as in the first bowling innings he picked only one wicket in the form of Shaheen Afridi while giving away 69 runs in 18 overs.
Meanwhile, the pacer went wicketless in the final innings of the first Test as he got to bowl only two overs. Fernando had to sit out for the second Test match.
Asitha Fernando (6/10): Asitha Fernando found a place in Sri Lanka’s playing XI during the second Test match and he made the most out of the opportunity. The right-arm seamer was handed the ball for 25 overs during Pakistan’s only innings and he picked up three wickets including the likes of Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, and Shan Masood.
However, Fernando failed to keep a check on the flow of the runs as he gave away 133 runs in his 25 overs to record a poor economy rate of 5.3. Dilshan Madushanka (1/10): The 22-year-old Dilshan Madushanka featured in only the second Test match for Sri Lanka. The youngster failed to impress in his only outing as he went wicketless against Pakistan batters despite batting a total of 17 overs. The left-arm seamer bowled a total of three maiden overs and conceded an alarming 77 runs at an economy rate of 4.5.