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TEN WICKETS FROM Prabath Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka thrash Ireland by an innings and 280 runs, in one of the biggest winning margins in Test history.
In Sri Lanka’s biggest win as well as Ireland’s worst defeat to date, the visitors were bundled out for 168 on day three in a humid seaside Galle stadium after being made to follow-on.
“(Ireland) are new to this format and they are still learning about this format. But I think they were really good and in future they will be a good team as well,” Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said afterwards.
It was the 12th-largest innings victory in Test history, behind England’s win over the West Indies in 2007 by an innings and 283 runs.
Sri Lanka’s previous biggest win was when they hammered Zimbabwe by an innings and 254 runs in 2004 in Bulawayo.
Ireland have now lost all five of their matches since securing Test status in 2017. Their previous biggest defeat was to England by 143 runs in 2019.
In the first Test between the two sides, Sri Lanka made Ireland’s fielders toil from the start, racking up 591 for 6 in their first innings before declaring on day two.
Karunaratne top scored with a masterful 179 while Kusal Mendis posted 140. Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama then hit unbeaten hundreds.
Sri Lanka then had Ireland on the ropes on 4-2 before bowling them out for 143 with Jayasuriya taking a career-best 7-52 and Lorcan Tucker top-scoring with 45.
With a first-innings lead of 448, Sri Lanka enforced the follow on, reducing them to 40-5 before lunch but Harry Tector and Curtis Campher resisted with a 60-run stand.
The partnership was broken when Nishan Madushka pulled off a good reflex catch at short leg to dismiss Campher for 30 and give Ramesh Mendis his second wicket in the innings.
Mendis finished with four wickets, becoming after his 11th appearance the joint-fastest Sri Lankan to get 50 Test wickets alongside off-spinner Dilruwan Perera.
Tector, a tall 23-year-old right-handed batter, looked impressive with solid defence despite copping a nasty blow on the ribs from a Asitha Fernando delivery.
But his promising innings was cut short when he pushed one to mid-off and hurried for a single but there was no response from the non-striker.
Midway down the pitch, he turned back, slipped and despite a dive couldn’t save himself, departing for 42.
Jayasuriya bagged another three scalps, including the final one to fall, trapping Ben White leg-before for one.
Sri Lanka 591-4 (131 overs; Dimuth Karunaratne 179, Kusal Mendis 140, Curtis Campher 2-84)
Ireland 143 (52.3 overs; Lorcan Tucker 45, James McCollum 35, Harry Tector 34, Prabath Jayasuriya 7-52)
Ireland 168 (54.1 overs; Harry Tector 42, George Dockrell 32; W Mendis 4-76)
Sri Lanka won by an innings and 280 runs
Written by AFP and posted on the42.ie
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Judge wanted to send out a strong message by handing out 3 years, he then went and suspended it, the mind boggles
The mind would boggle in a normal country. Not here, unfortunately
People get beaten up in Ireland every day. Karma works in mysterious ways. What you put out you will get back. Beware.
Money talks. Justice walks.
And he just let them buy themselves out of doing jail time
A suspended sentence is a strong message for a violent and unprovoked attack? What role are these judges living in?
A most generous judge…..3 vicious thugs…
@Peter fechter: Probably from “good families”, pillars of the community, GAA etc
Suspended sentences, a strong message to continue the thuggery with impunity.
A strong message these days is pay €3000 to the victim after you viciously attacked him and the nice judge will give you s suspended sentence. Ridiculous.
Interesting that you can severely beat a victim, risk killing the victim, but you can buy your way our of a custodial sentence.
The moral is that you can hammer people providing you have the money barely to compensate them for their injuries.
Seriously? The final kick in the teeth was delivered by Judge O’Donnell himself. Farce.
I hope the judge wagged his finger at them as he was suspending the sentence, you know, to make a really strong statement!
Tom O’Donnell needs to be investigated. He must have the worst sentence record ever
“I don’t want to be (seen) as allowing these three young men to buy their way out of these matters”
Wtf? That’s exactly what you’ve done judge, how else are people meant to look at it? What a horrible sentence.
Maybe the ‘judge’ should give attempted murderers a chance to throw doubles to avoid jail.
Utterly farcical.
Legal system is a joke
I was assaulted about 2 years ago, and taken to hospital for the night all in blood.
I got no compensation whatsoever.
The attacker committed suicide roughly 1 year after that.
It would seem you’d have to kill someone before you’re jailed in this country
For five years with the last two suspended.
In a situation like that the favour should be returned to each one of them individually. Make sure they don’t lay a finger on anyone else again. Brave boys.
I wonder if these three would get the same sentence if they attacked a judge?
Wonder if these posh thugs came from different part of Limerick, would the judge be so lenient. Class system always wins.
Based on previous sentences handed down by Irish courts, yes.
There are certain types of employment that would dismiss these gentlemen immediately if they were in any such employment…they would also be refused by many employers on the basis of their convictions.
Peter, are you trying to say that the sentences were justified??
Of course not Dave…too much of a believer in personal responsibility for that….my post was simply to point out the long term implications for these 3 buckos if they were of the type to possess a work ethic each.
Sure the legal system is counting on these guys re-offending…more $$$. A major investigation of why we have a legal system and not a justice system needs to take place.
Weak weak judges and no consequences to such cowardly actions is no deterrent. A quick credit union loan and Bob’s your uncle. Just another nail in the Irish coffin. No justice.
Send out a strong message my ass ……no suspended sentence. ..send them to jail for 5 years full term. That would send a stronger message
Why are cases like this never appealed by the DPP as too lenient
Just once DPP appeal a far too lenient sentence
I think someone should explain to this judge how this is as far from a “strong message” as you can get. No wonder the country is going to shite socially with idiots like this as judges.
Let’s them out to do it all again and then get another suspended sentence for them to do it again and then get……….
Deep remorse my hole. FFS the system is beyond a joke.
Well. Judge. You actually let them buy out of it.
I wonder what a weak message would look like, the Judges words and actions don’t match up.
That poor lad deserves justice, he hasn’t got it. 9 grand would probably buy some though, just a thought.
9 grand is not enough. He should have gotten all their worldly possessions that would teach them.
“I don’t want to be seen to be allowing these 3 men to buy their way out of these matters”… so if you could just cough up 9000 euro there now you can go off home. Good man judge.
3 on 1… real tough guys. should all do time, see how they do inside
At least the public know who the assailants are.But this type of verdict does not deter violent thugs or make the law abiding feel secure
A strong message?!!! What a d!psh!te of a judge.
Obviously, the boyfriend of the woman who the victim was talking to doesn’t know what love is.
Three thousand each!?? Probably not even a month’s wage for each of their parents. Ridiculous.
Talk about insecurity? What w….rs.
These judges are a disgrace in this kip, wanted to send out a strong message, and then suspends their sentence, disgusting
Thick judge
Another idiot Judge!! These guys who beat the poor guy are savages!! “They showed great remorse” said their Counsel!!That’s easily said!! The idiot judge bought it!!!!! No real ramifactions for savage perpetrators!! Our Judicial system STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN!!!
The judge noted “their deep remorse”, yeah right once they were caught! I wonder how many others they beat up before that?
The big problem here is that judges simply don’t have the prison places to stick these ba$tards into and for some mad reason it’s now become the norm that judges think that a cash fine or payout solves everything.
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