Sri Lanka (Commonwealth) _ Sri Lanka moved up to equal third position on the WTC points standings and completed a perfect 2-0 series sweep, after defeating Bangladesh at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
After Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and chose to bat, Sri Lanka amassed 531, the greatest Test total without a single hundred. After four Test innings, Kamindu Mendis kept up his incredible form to tie Javed Miandad’s world record for the greatest career aggregate.
Bangladesh subsequently crumbled for 178, with Asitha Fernando (4-34) leading the rout. After batting once again, Sri Lanka declared on 157-7 with Hasan Mahmud scoring 4-65. Bangladesh, who were chasing 511, continued the game into the fifth morning when Lahiru Kumara’s 4-50 saw them bowled out for 318.
A team receives 12 points in the WTC for a victory, six for a tie, four for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Points won per points contested (PCT) is used to order the teams.
When Sri Lanka came in Bangladesh for the 2023–25 World Test Championship Cycle, they were meaningless. They have 50 points presently, having gained 24 points from two Test matches. With a PCT (points earned per points contested) of 50 as a result, they were able to tie New Zealand for third place.
In contrast, Bangladesh’s PCT decreased from 33.33 to 25. They are presently level with South Africa in seventh position, and just ahead of England with 17.5 points after 10 Test matches.
With a PCT of 68.51 from nine Test matches, India is first in the point’s standings. Australia is in second position, much ahead of New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with 62.5 points after 12 games.
Updated 2023-25 WTC rankings
| Position | Team | Tests | Won | Lost | Drawn | NR | Points | PCT |
| 1 | India | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 68.51 |
| 2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 62.50 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 50.00 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 50.00 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 36.66 |
| 6 | West Indies | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 33.33 |
| 7 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 25.00 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 25.00 |
| 9 | England | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 17.50 |
Clean sweep against Bangladesh
Lahiru Kumara ended with 4-50 to help Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 192 runs in the second Test, sweeping the two-match series 2-0 on Wednesday. On the fifth day of the match in Chittagong, the fast bowler removed last man Khaled Ahmed to end a one-sided game before noon.
Sri Lanka achieved a 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh by winning the second Test despite Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s valiant efforts. Chasing 511 runs for an unlikely triumph, Bangladesh were all out for 318, with Mominul Haq (50) and Miraz (81 not out) hitting half-centuries before the hosts collapsed in the morning session of the final day.
With six of their top seven batsmen hitting half-centuries, Sri Lanka, who won the first Test match at Sylhet by 328 runs, were in control of the game after amassing 531 runs in their opening innings. Sri Lanka declared their second innings at 157-7 after Bangladesh achieved 178 in reply, giving the hosts an intimidating total for victory.
Bangladesh, the hosts, resumed on 268-7 and scored just 50 runs after chasing an overwhelming 511 in their second innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who had just scored his sixth Test half-century, put on a lone fight to remain undefeated at 81.At the start of the day, it seemed more likely that Sri Lanka would win, but Mehidy produced some good shots to reach his fifty off 68 balls.
At the gully, the batsman drove off spinner Kamindu Mendis to Nishan Madushka, losing his overnight partner Taijul Islam for 14.Kamindu was named man of the match for his 3-32 finish and his undefeated 92 at bat in the first innings. After reaching a century in each of the first two innings in the first Test, he was also awarded player of the series.
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva stated, “The bowlers executed the basics on this wicket and the batsmen did their job as well. “The fact that we didn’t score any runs in the first Test somewhat frustrated the hitters, but our guys are seasoned. I was sure they would score runs,” he said. “There wasn’t much in the way of spin. I thus considered using reverse swing to get wickets. The pacers responded quickly and accurately.33 of the 40 Bangladeshi wickets that fell to Sri Lankan pacers, an uncommon achievement given Bangladesh’s usually spin-friendly grounds.”
Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh, predicted that the home team’s dismal performance in the red-ball series would cause some introspection. “If you see our batting, all of us reached a set but failed to score highly. That warrants consideration,” he remarked. “You must create a score if you are set. We need to engage in more elite cricket matches. The first Test in Sylhet was won by Sri Lanka by 328 runs. They lost the one-day international series by the same margin, but they also won the three-match T20 series 2-1.”
Prior to the T20 World Cup beginning in June, Bangladesh’s next international match will take place in May when they host Zimbabwe for five Twenty20 matches.
