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SL vs IRE | Kusal Mendis hammers double ton, SL scale 700 before Ireland lose late wickets on Day 4

image-lgz4gapkMadushka celebrates his double ton (Twitter)

Ireland: 492/10 in 145.3 overs (Curtis Campher 111, Paul Stirling 103; Prabath Jayasuriya 5-174, Asitha Fernando 2-78) & Ireland: 54-2 in 22 overs (Peter Moor 19, Andy Balbirnie 18*; Ramesh Mendis 1-17, Prabath Jayasuriya 1-28) trail by 158 runs to Sri Lanka: 704-3d in 151 overs (Kusal Mendis 245, Nishan Madushka 205; Graham Hume 1-87, Curtis Campher 1-101).

Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis, the two overnight batters, both hammered their maiden Test double centuries to push Sri Lanka past the 700-run mark on Day 4 against Ireland. With captain Dimuth Karunaratne finally declaring at 704, his spinners Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya came to the fore by picking up wickets late in the day.

Sri Lanka push for series sweep with dominant Day 4

Sri Lanka flogged Ireland’s weary bowlers for 74 overs on Day 4, to stretch their overnight score from 357-1 to 704-3d. Opener Nishan Madushka registered his maiden Test double ton, and he formed a mammoth 268-run second-wicket stand with Kusal Mendis.

Meanwhile, Mendis himself notched up his first Test double century. The cricketer faced just 291 deliveries to whack a career-best 245, laced with 18 boundaries and 11 sixes, just one short of levelling Wasim Akram’s record of 12 sixes in an innings.

Thereafter, seasoned campaigner Angelo Mathews piled on Irish pain as he smoked an unbeaten 100 off just 114 balls. His century also brought down the declaration by his captain, who made the decision after a 212-run first innings lead.

Ireland spinner Andy McBrine and pacers Curtis Campher and Graham Hume were the only wicket-takers of the innings, as the trio toiled away in front of a rampaging Sri Lankan batting charge.

Left to survive the remaining 22 overs of the day, the visitors lost both their openers without any notable contribution. Hosts spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis both struck late in the day, to leave Ireland spinning at 54-2, still 158 runs away from Sri Lanka.

Captain Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector will resume Ireland’s response on Day 5, as they chase an uphill task of levelling the two-match series.