Sri Lanka thrashed Bangladesh by 328 runs at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium to go one-up in the two-match series as well as get off the mark on the WTC points table. This is the second-largest margin of victory for Sri Lanka in terms of runs in Test cricket.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva (102 and 108) and Kamindu Mendis (102 and 164) wrote and rewrote many a record during their two mammoth partnerships, while Vishwa Fernando (7-84), Kasun Rajitha (8-115), and Lahiru Kumara (5-70) shared all 20 wickets. De Silva was named the Player of the Match.

A second Test match five-for from Kasun Rajitha saw Sri Lanka rattle through Bangladesh again on Day Four of the first Test.

A crushing 328-run win for Sri Lanka puts them one up with one to play.#BANvSL pic.twitter.com/O77aUwgh2Y

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 25, 2024

In the WTC, a team gets 12 for a win, six for a tie, four for a draw, and nothing for a defeat. Teams are then sorted by points won per points contested (PCT).

This was Sri Lanka’s first win of the 2023-25 World Test Championship Cycle, in three Test matches. This gave them a PCT (points won per points contested) of 33.33, helping them escape the last place and leapfrog England (17.5) and South Africa (25), who are now, in that order, ninth and eighth on the table.

Bangladesh’s PCT, meanwhile, dropped from 50 to 33.33, at par with Sri Lanka and the West Indies (four Tests), behind Pakistan (36.66 from five games) and New Zealand (50 from six).

With a PCT of 68.51 from nine Test matches, India are perched at the top of the table. With 62.5 from 12 games, Australia are second. There is considerable buffer between the finalists of the 2021-23 WTC and the other seven teams.

The second Test match will begin at Chattogram from March 30. A win will help Sri Lanka draw level with New Zealand at third place.

WTC points table: Updated standings after the BAN vs SL Sylhet Test

[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]